Mikel Arteta has now opened up about how he copes with the stress of being Arsenal manager.
Being a football manager at the highest level is an exhausting, all-consuming job, and it is no different for Mikel Arteta in the hot seat at Arsenal.
There has recently been speculation about the Spanish coach’s future at the Emirates Stadium, after rumours emerged linking him with a post at Barcelona. However, Arteta quickly shut those stories down and reiterated his desire to stay in north London.
The former midfielder only has 18-months remaining on his existing contract though, and sporting director Edu must now be doing all he can to ensure that fresh terms are agreed as soon as possible.
Arteta was appointed as Arsenal manager in December 2019, taking over from Unai Emery. It was his first ever managerial role, and he got off to an excellent start, claiming an FA Cup triumph at the end of that campaign.
However, a period of struggle was to follow. He led Arsenal to an eighth-place finish in the Premier League in his first full season in charge, and he came under pressure several times. Edu has since explained why Arsenal stuck by Arteta so firmly throughout this period.
The Gunners have since been rewarded for their faith in the former club captain. Arteta has restored the club to the Champions League and has made Arsenal genuine title challengers once again.
Arteta has built a young, talented squad at the Emirates Stadium and will be eager to now take the last step and land some major silverware with this group of players.
However, in a week in which Jurgen Klopp has announced that he will be leaving Liverpool at the end of the season due to exhaustion, the notion of managerial burnout has been a hot topic.
Mikel Arteta shares coping methods
Speaking in a press conference, as quoted by Arseblog, Arteta has now given an insight into the measures he takes to keep himself fresh. He said, “I think every day you need to have moments. I have moments during my day that I do certain things to bring everything down. You know, your brain goes all the way, 100 miles an hour, you cannot think, you cannot see the pictures with clarity.”
“You need to bring it down sometimes. And there are ways to do it. It’s your family, you can do sometimes meditation, sometimes sport is a great way to put those things away, talking to people, there’s a lot of things that you need. You need holidays, you need days off, you need to stay away from your phone at times. There is a lot of things that are needed and are very, very healthy. But the temptation is always to do more. That’s true.”
It is vital that Arteta is able to maintain rested and clear-headed as much as possible for the rest of the season, as plenty of occupational challenges lay ahead. He will be hoping in the coming months to have the pressure of being in the thick of a title race once again to deal with. Then there is also the matter of the summer transfer window to prepare for. He will need all of the downtime he can get.
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