Mikel Arteta: The rejection and determination that made a manager

1 year ago 35

Sports Insight Banner

Fans clasp aloft a banner with Mikel Arteta's representation and the connection Vamos astatine the Emirates Stadium

A wide grin unfolds crossed Pepe Reina's bronzed features arsenic helium recalls the injustice served up to Mikel Arteta successful the dorm country of a Barcelona farmhouse they utilized to telephone home.

Reina was connected the apical bunk and Arteta beneath - but determination was nary uncertainty wherever the sound was coming from.

"I was the 1 snoring and the different lads successful the country were getting upset," explains the erstwhile Liverpool and Napoli goalkeeper.

"So they started to propulsion shinpads, shoes, flip-flops … thing they could laic their hands on.

"But due to the fact that I was connected apical and helium was connected the bottommost galore of them ended up hitting Mikel. The sharing of that furniture outgo him galore sleepless nights and astir our relationship!"

Plucked from Madrid and San Sebastian respectively arsenic immoderate of the brightest young talents successful Spain, Reina and Arteta near location successful their mid-teens to articulation La Masia. FC Barcelona's world-famous residential academy has produced Lionel Messi, Xavi and Andres Iniesta and, until 2011, was located successful a chromatic farmhouse crossed the roadworthy from the Nou Camp, the club's iconic stadium.

LISTEN: Arteta - The making of Mikel

Reina is convinced that it was during this play that Arteta acquired immoderate of the characteristics that person helped him look arsenic 1 of Europe's astir promising young managers during a play successful which his young Arsenal broadside secured 2nd spot successful the Premier League and Champions League shot for the archetypal clip since 2016-17, contempt falling distant successful the last fewer matches.

La Masia arsenic seen from the Nou Camp successful Barcelona

"It was truly tough," Reina tells presenter John Bennett successful the BBC World Service documentary Arteta: The making of Mikel.

"We were 13 oregon 14-year-old kids and we missed our brothers and sisters and our parents. I retrieve speechmaking letters from location astatine that clip and determination were tears. There were radical crying.

"It's truly character-building. That resilience, that beardown mentality, that determination to get the trophy oregon execute your goals is thing you request to make to past successful La Masia.

"We were sharing the aforesaid dreams, the aforesaid nightmares, the aforesaid fears, and we were each unneurotic supporting each different similar brothers."

As good arsenic acquiring intelligence strength, Arteta was besides schooled successful the Barcelona doctrine of shot retention, selflessness and positional flexibility that has transformed modern nine football, with Manchester City's Pep Guardiola arsenic its starring exponent, and some existent Barcelona manager Xavi and Arsenal's Arteta among his disciples.

According to Reina, it's nary coincidence that each 3 played successful midfield.

"I deliberation the acquisition successful Barcelona arsenic a player, particularly successful his position, is peculiarly strong," helium says.

"It was lone mean that those players successful those positions finished up knowing shot amended than others.

"Mikel was calved arsenic a manager I think. His quality connected the transportation has besides been demonstrated disconnected it."

A mentor to some Guardiola and Arteta, Paco Seirul-lo is an authorization connected the Barcelona way. He was made first-team fittingness manager by Johan Cruyff successful 1994, and past anointed with the lofty rubric of "Head of Methodology" a decennary later.

Mikel Arteta playing for Barcelona successful a affable against Hertha Berlin successful August 1999

"The doctrine is that you enactment your team-mate supra yourself," helium explains. "This means leaving your ego astatine the door.

"Some players did not judge it and did not succeed. Others understood that it wasn't astir sacrificing yourself, but it was astir tailoring your crippled to the needs of your team-mate.

"This is what Arteta and Guardiola utilized to do: erstwhile the subordinate received the ball, helium said 'thank you' due to the fact that it had arrived precisely arsenic helium wanted it.

"Arteta, similar Pep, was unselfish and played for others. His essence was to enactment for the squad and assistance others to thrive.

"And this is what helium does present with his players: helium trains them truthful that their lone precedence is to collaborate with their team-mates. Arteta tries to make an situation wherever creativity tin thrive."

Short presentational grey line

Mikel Arteta poses with a idiosyncratic trophy and a household subordinate arsenic a boy

Arteta's occurrence arsenic a subordinate and a manager is simply a root of large pridefulness successful San Sebastian, the Basque seaside metropolis wherever his footballing communicative began.

The Antiguoko FC clubhouse is easy missed. In a tiny courtyard, betwixt a hairsbreadth salon and a factual flat block, its entranceway is marked with a wood-panelled beforehand door.

Once connected the different side, it becomes wide what a important portion this nine has played successful the vocation of, not conscionable Arteta, but galore different apical players.

One partition is covered successful framed shirts of 20 of the 35 Antiguoko youngsters who person gone connected to play successful Spain's apical formation and different is devoted wholly to photos and mementos of its 2 aureate boys: Arteta and Xabi Alonso.

"We played galore tournaments with Mikel and Xabi successful the aforesaid team," remembers their erstwhile manager Roberto Montiel, present vice-president of Antiguoko.

"The 3 of america utilized to spell to France to play successful competitions and it was superb: that was a precise bully team."

Montiel oversaw Antiguoko's younker programme for much than 2 decades - but helium insists determination was "something special" astir the young Arteta.

The tribute partition successful honour of Arteta astatine Antiguoko

"He stood retired from the rest," helium says. "It was bully to spot specified prime successful that tiny body.  He was similar Messi. You ticker Messi's videos and determination are galore similarities from erstwhile they were kids.

"Mikel had a precise bully speechmaking of the game, helium saw the plays earlier the rest. It was arsenic if helium was watching the crippled from above. Players similar that are a small spot special. They spot things connected the transportation that others could lone spot from up successful the stands.

"He besides caught my attraction because, successful my tactical talks earlier the games, helium was not similar different kids, who got distracted, talked to each other, joked around... Instead, helium was precise attentive. He often told me: they are playing successful a 4-4-2 oregon 4-3-2-1 system. He was already observing the team's formations and tactics."

A young Mikel Arteta poses successful a squad changeable with his Antiguoko team-mates

Despite his evident ability, Arteta ne'er went connected to marque a competitory quality successful the Barcelona archetypal team, his pathway blocked by world-class talents specified arsenic Xavi, Iniesta and an ageing Guardiola.

Midway done the 2000-01 season, the nine sent him connected indebtedness to Paris St-Germain to articulation a squad afloat of established stars specified arsenic Ronaldinho, Jay-Jay Okocha and Nicolas Anelka.

Eighteen months later, having impressed successful a Uefa Cup lucifer against Rangers, Arteta joined the Scottish giants, wherever helium soon served announcement of his fearless personality.

Mikel Areta plays for Paris St Germain against AC Milan

Going into the last time of the 2002-03 season, Rangers and their large rivals Celtic were level connected points and extremity difference, with Rangers 1 up connected goals scored.

Celtic had concisely edged up successful the rubric contention earlier successful the afternoon, but with 92 minutes connected the timepiece successful some games, Rangers 5-1 up astatine Ibrox against Dunfermline Athletic and Celtic 4-0 up astatine Kilmarnock, Arteta's broadside held the narrowest of leads.

It was truthful adjacent that a chopper was hovered overhead, poised to present the trophy to whoever came retired connected top.

Then, Rangers won a penalty: a accidental to seal the rubric and a home treble. It was a squad packed with experience, but a 21-year-old Arteta stepped up.

"I could hardly watch, I had my backmost to the punishment spot due to the fact that I knew however important it was," says Rangers team-mate Ronald de Boer, past a seasoned Dutch planetary and 12 years Arteta's senior.

"I deliberation Barry Ferguson was our fig 1 penalty-taker, but Mikel took the ball. I'm definite helium had nerves, but helium hid them good and scored a cleanable penalty."

As Arteta wheeled distant waving his arms towards the delirious Ibrox stands, De Boer remembers his feelings of admiration for the young midfielder.

"That was a large work from him," helium adds. "He took complaint and stood up erstwhile it mattered - cipher truly expected that.

" We knew helium was a large player, but to instrumentality that work astatine specified a young age, successful specified an important crippled and infinitesimal of that decisive rubric contention against Celtic was impressive.

"He had the accidental to fail, but that didn't happen. He was the hero."

If it was astatine Rangers wherever Arteta archetypal took bid connected the pitch, it was astatine his adjacent nine Everton wherever helium started to go a person successful the dressing room.

"When we signed Mikel, we started to germinate into a much dynamic squad and Mikel was precise influential successful that," says his erstwhile Everton team-mate Alan Stubbs.

"He had a wide thought of however helium wanted to play arsenic an individual, but besides however helium wanted the squad to play arsenic a result. There were a fewer occasions erstwhile we had travel successful astatine half-time and were losing oregon drafting the crippled - helium wasn't acrophobic to springiness an sentiment and accidental we request to beryllium braver and dictate the crippled more.

"At that time, [manager] David Moyes had much of a structured mentality successful presumption of being defensively strong, hitting teams connected the counter-attack and beryllium precise resolute.

"I deliberation if it was up to Mikel, though we were defensively strong, helium would alternatively person seen america spell to effort and triumph the crippled 2-0 oregon 3-0, alternatively than play retired a 1-0. Being realistic, astatine that time, with Everton, we were ne'er going to beryllium a squad that controlled games of football. But Mikel would ever springiness the argument, 'why can't we try?'"

On transportation deadline time successful August 2011, Arteta was signed by an Arsenal squad crying retired for leaders pursuing a humiliating 8-2 decision astatine Old Trafford. It was during his clip nether Arsene Wenger that Arteta archetypal acted upon his ain ambitions to go a manager, albeit successful improbable surroundings.

The Football Association of Wales' (FAW) coaching programme astatine Dragon Park, Newport, had earned a glowing estimation among erstwhile players, with Marcel Desailly and Roberto Martinez among those passing done its doors. Its 2016 Uefa Pro Licence cohort was particularly star-studded.

"Mikel was connected the pro licence, arsenic was Thierry Henry, Sol Campbell and Freddie Ljungberg," says their class-mate Richard Williams, a little acquainted sanction perhaps, but present the FAW's caput of subordinate development. "It was a small spot peculiar for guys who haven't been successful that world."

Even successful specified esteemed company, Arteta's absorption stood out.

"The 1 happening I noticed astir being successful the aforesaid country arsenic Mikel during thing we did was the clarity helium had successful what helium wanted to do," says Williams. "He was precise wide successful however helium wanted his teams to play and however helium was going to spell astir it.

"The twelvemonth aft we graduated helium did a league astatine our nationalist league and helium presented a passing drill which I inactive usage now. It's a elemental drill, but the item of question and the item of walk had to beryllium perfect.

"He was a perfectionist, which I deliberation astir apt comes from that La Masia inheritance - and past of people having that accidental to spell and enactment with Pep successful his environment."

Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta connected the sidelines astatine the Etihad Stadium

Reina describes Arteta's three-year spell arsenic Guardiola's assistant, which followed his playing status astatine Arsenal successful 2016, arsenic the shot coaching equivalent of a "Masters from Harvard". Stories abound of late-night meetings betwixt the brace successful their cardinal Manchester flat artifact to sermon a caller maneuver oregon formation.

Williams witnessed what helium calls the "easy chemistry" betwixt them erstwhile City trained astatine Dragon Park earlier a gathering with Swansea City.

"After the session, Mikel arranged a Q&A for the Pro Licence candidates successful the boardroom and what I'll ne'er hide was that we acceptable up the boardroom with 5 tables and a lectern astatine the beforehand for Pep," says Williams. "But erstwhile Pep walked in, helium insisted that we each sat astir 1 table.

"It was acold much intimate and informal that mode and you could intelligibly spot that helium and Mikel had a large relationship. There was joking and banter betwixt them erstwhile they were giving the answers backmost to us. So it looked similar a truly comfortable, bully environment."

Having been fixed the accidental to onslaught retired connected his ain successful 2019, Arteta's Arsenal broadside bushed Guardiola's Manchester City connected the mode to lifting the FA Cup successful his archetypal afloat play - but challenges were to follow.

After successive eighth-place finishes, Arsenal mislaid their archetypal 3 games of the 2021-22 play to beryllium bottommost of the table. One online canvass of Arsenal supporters astatine the clip showed 77% wanting him to leave.

But Arteta, possibly drafting connected the resilience developed La Masia, stuck to his footballing principles, jettisoning high-earning individualists similar Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Mesut Ozil and crafting a young, attacking squad brimming with creativity and corporate purpose.

After narrowly missing retired connected Champions League qualification, the Gunners acceptable a furious gait to pb the Premier League for astir of the 2022-23 season. But yet it was a tempo they were incapable to support arsenic Manchester City took vantage of a precocious wobble to steam past them connected the location straight.

Arsenal fans' thoughts are already turning to adjacent play and beyond though, with Arteta arsenic the manager to mould their future.

"Every cheer, chant, helium lives it, helium breathes it," says Faisal Khan, big of Latte Firm, an Arsenal YouTube channel.

"We spot what it means to him, arsenic an ex-player helium understands what it means to beryllium Arsenal.

"We are present and competing, and I americium convinced we volition beryllium for years to travel and hopefully helium volition beryllium astatine the helm.

"We are conscionable truthful excited to spot wherever it ends up with him."

Reina agrees. He is adamant that his erstwhile bunk-mate has everything it takes to win astatine the apical level and knows wherever he'll crook for proposal erstwhile helium embarks connected his ain coaching career.

"You request to hole yourself and beryllium clever with who you take arsenic a mentor," helium says. "Mikel is up determination with my favourites.

"I volition larn a batch if I tin from his absorption abilities due to the fact that helium is going to beryllium 1 of the greatest."

With reporting by John Bennett, BBC World Service Sport