Childhood friends Mikel Arteta and Xabi Alonso went head to head last night as Arsenal hosted Bayer Leverkusen.
Arsenal thrashed the reigning German champions by a 4-1 scoreline at the Emirates Stadium, with Oleksandr Zinchenko, Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus, and Kai Havertz providing the goals for the hosts.
Mikel Arteta’s side look ready for the new season, on the basis of this performance, and their mission for the upcoming campaign is clear. Winning the Premier League title this time around is the main goal for the North London club.
Former Tottenham Hotspur boss Harry Redknapp has tipped Arsenal to become champions, but dethroning Manchester City will be no easy feat.
If the Gunners are to be successful in this aim, they will need to hit the ground running. Arsenal have some tough early fixtures to contend with, which is why it is so vital they they get a good pre-season under their belts.
They took on quality opposition in Bayer Leverkusen, and passed that test with flying colours.
Xabi Alonso heaps praise on Arsenal and Mikel Arteta
Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso was clearly impressed by Arsenal, and expects them to really push for the title this season.
Speaking after his side’s defeat at the Emirates Stadium, as quoted by Hayters TV, he said: “Mikel is leading a great team, a great club, and they are going to be challenging with the big ones.”
Whilst he stopped short of outright declaring the Gunners as his favourites to claim the Premier League crown, the former Liverpool midfielder is clearly convinced that it is a distinct possibility.
Alonso and Arteta have been friends since childhood, and there is a huge amount of respect between the pair.
On the subject of the Arsenal manager, Alonso added: “He has always been a competitive animal. Here you can see how he has been developing a great project, but at a young age you could see that he wanted to win.”
What makes Arsenal boss Arteta so special?
Arteta has transformed Arsenal since his arrival in the dugout. He has healed the rift between the club and the supporters, and made the Gunners genuine contenders for the biggest prizes in the game again.
He is committed, fierce, passionate, and bold enough to make big decisions. He has also developed some novel techniques which set him apart.
For instance, Arteta recently hired professional thieves as part of the process of teaching his Arsenal squad a lesson about awareness.
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