Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta hails 'phenomenal' Pep Guardiola influence ahead of Manchester City clash

George Flood15 June 2020

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has detailed the extent of the influence of the "phenomenal" Pep Guardiola on his career as he prepares for a reunion with his Manchester City counterpart this week.

Following a three-month suspension caused by the coronavirus pandemic, the 2019-20 Premier League season resumes behind closed doors on Wednesday (June 17), with the Gunners travelling to Etihad Stadium after Aston Villa face Sheffield United in the opening fixture.

That contest will see Arteta make a first return to City since December, when he left his role as Guardiola's assistant after more than three years to take the managerial reins at the club he had previously served as captain.

It is sure to be an emotional occasion for the Spaniard despite the absence of fans, with Arteta set to lock horns for the first as a manager with a friend that he credits with having a huge impact on his progression as a player, person and coach.

"Well, he [Guardiola] was an influence for me since I was 15 years old and we met at Barcelona, both as players," Arteta said at his pre-match press conference on Monday.

"And in my coaching career and my personal life, he has an enormous influence.

"If I have to talk about the person he is, his values, the way he has treated me and how he deals with the players and the staff around him, its phenomenal.

In Pictures | Arsenal vs Brentford friendly | 10/06/2020

1/57

"As a coach, I have learned so much from him, we have spent some amazing moments together, some difficult ones as well, but the experience next to him has been incredible."

Arsenal resume the season sitting ninth in the Premier League, eight points adrift of the top four.

Arteta's former employers City, meanwhile, lie second but a whopping 25 points shy of leaders Liverpool as their latest reign as champions draws to a close.

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in