Mikel Arteta has completely transformed Arsenal since becoming their manager.
The Spaniard has changed the perception of the club, turning them into one of the best teams in world football. They are now elite both individually and collectively.
Arsenal can dominate games in multiple ways, whether through possession, pressing or set-pieces. That level of versatility has made them extremely difficult to beat.
That is all down to Arteta, and he has now revealed that this was always his dream – and he has fulfilled it.
If Mikel Arteta wins the Premier League, where does he rank among the ALL-TIME great Arsenal managers?
Mikel Arteta says he has built his dream Arsenal team
Arsenal are currently one of the most complete sides in Europe.
The Gunners have the best defence, score a variety of goals and are incredibly strong in almost every area of the pitch.
That is something Owen Hargreaves has observed and is really impressed by. He called it ‘rare’ while talking about it with Mikel Arteta.
The pundit said on TNT Sports: “You guys have got the highest scorers, you have got the best defence, most clean sheets, most goals from set-pieces, best home record, best away record…
“I mean, you can virtually do anything in any game, depending on what it needs. I think that’s very rare at this level, to be able to do so much so well.”
Arteta responded by explaining that this was always his vision.
He said: “That was my dream as a coach, to create a total team, a team that can win in any context, regardless of the circumstances.
“And to provide as many tools as possible to the team to be able to win games regardless of, ‘Okay we’ve not been that good in this phase today, but we have many other alternatives to achieve that without losing our identity for sure, but bringing that capacity to adapt to that and resolve any kind of context.’”
Arsenal have become exactly what Arteta wanted them to be, which must be very satisfying, but there’s a lot more still to come.
How do you think you would cope being managed by Mikel Arteta? 😅
Arsenal can still get even better, which is a scary thought
As good as Arsenal are right now, they are nowhere near their ceiling. That is scary for their rivals in the Premier League and Europe.
Many players in the squad are still young and have not yet reached their prime. That means there is still significant room for improvement in the coming years.
On top of that, Arsenal have one of the best academies in the country.
Young talents continue to emerge year after year, giving the club even more depth and quality without the need to spend big money all the time.
All of that suggests Arsenal could dominate English and European football for a long time, but they need to get over the line first this season.
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