Arsenal legend Thierry Henry has praised manager Mikel Arteta, and has drawn on comparisons between him and Pep Guardiola.
Arteta was Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City prior to his appointment at Arsenal, and the two are now battling head-to-head at the top of the Premier League.
Henry briefly played alongside Arteta when he returned to Arsenal on a loan spell in 2012, and has also played under Guardiola at Barcelona.
Speaking to David Seaman on the Seaman Says Podcast, Henry explained why he thinks Arteta and Guardiola are similar.
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“When I say he’s a mini Pep, he is, so to speak, he is going to put his own sauce in it, as you can see. He’s very different in certain ways, but the tactics are virtually the same,” he stated.
“The demeanour, the way he is, the way he talks very well to the press. I like his attitude, his demeanour, the way he is as a coach, the way they trust him. So now the only thing that is missing is obviously winning the title.”
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Are comparisons with Guardiola overstated?
Given that the two Spaniards worked together at City, comparisons were naturally going to be made, and whilst there are some similarities between them, particularly when it comes to the style of play employed by both, Arteta has also made his own imprint on this Arsenal side.
During his first season, Arteta won the FA Cup by playing with a defensive style, and even knocked Guardiola’s City out of the competition.
Both managers now focus on a possession heavy system, with inverted fullbacks, but Arteta has given his wingers Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka more freedom to express themselves creatively, compared to Jack Grealish under Guardiola.
Whilst it is easy to point to Guardiola as an influence for Arteta’s management style, the Arsenal boss played under Arsene Wenger and David Moyes, among others, and has used his experience as a player, which saw him play in sides as varied as Rangers, Real Sociedad, Barcelona and Everton, to mould a team into his own image.
Given that Arsenal have gone from mid-table to title challengers under Arteta, it is clear that no matter who he was influenced by, his style has worked wonders for the Gunners.