Arteta Praises Pochettino's Influence, Labels Him as a Father Figure

Arsenal manager, Mikel Arteta, has paid homage to Mauricio Pochettino, the Chelsea boss, stating that the latter was "like a father" to him during his early playing years. This acknowledgment came ahead of the imminent clash of Arsenal with Chelsea in the Premier League. Arteta played alongside Pochettino at Paris St Germain before the duo embarked on their coaching endeavors in Europe's premier leagues.

In his teens, Arteta was greatly inspired by Pochettino and has since held him in high esteem. He recalled his times in Paris at the age of 17 or 18 with no professional football experience, where Pochettino took him under his wing, providing invaluable advice, protecting, and inspiring him. He draws attention to the tremendous amount he learned during their two years together.

Leading the Gunners since 2019, Arteta has seen his team coming a long way, currently topping the table. They are a point ahead of Manchester City, who have a game in hand, and leading Liverpool on goal difference as they rally towards Premier League glory with five more matches.

Arteta had sought Pochettino's opinion before moving on from his assistant position at Manchester City under Pep Guardiola to becoming Arsenal's manager. He acknowledges appreciation for Pochettino's successful career and his influential role during Arteta's critical career stages, referring to him as the best role model.

Putting more emphasis on Pochettino's life lessons rather than tactical acumen, Arteta appreciates his professionalism, family values, dressing room persona, passion, and love for the game.

Arteta, whose side was recently ousted from the Champions League by Bayern Munich, expressed the need for the team to make further steps in their growth. Despite the looming possibility of Arsenal clinching their first league title since 2003-04, Arteta spoke of his relentless pursuit towards further evolution: the team's desire "to keep moving forward in a ruthless way because we're not satisfied." Christiansen added, "We will try to be as fresh as possible but I think we can cope with that."