Mikel Arteta might have cut his coaching teeth under Pep Guardiola, but there are shades of Jose Mourinho in the Arsenal boss too.
While a purist by nature, the former Manchester City assistant is not afraid of embracing the pragmatic either.
Arsenal – to quote Atalanta boss Gian Piero Gasperini ahead of Thursday’s UEFA Champions League opener – can be ‘a beautiful team to watch’ when Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz are dipping into their box of fancy flicks.
But when the pressure is on and a result is required, Mikel Arteta – who signed a new three-year contract last week – is no stranger to channeling his inner-Mourinho.
Sunday’s 1-0 North London derby victory over Tottenham Hotspur, for instance.
Reducing what is usually the most entertaining game in English football into a bit of a slugfest, Arsenal defended deep scored via a set-piece and – thanks to the ‘best in Europe’ centre-half partnership of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes – ensured that Spurs’ XG would stay under one.
So, those hoping for a thrilling, end-to-end celebration of the ‘Beautiful Game’ when Arteta’s Arsenal travel to Gasperini’s free-wheeling Atalanta on Thursday night may be in a disappointment.
Arsenal face Atalanta in Champions League opener
“They are a team that I really appreciate,” Gasperini tells Tuttomercatoweb. “They are very compact and organised, they are a great example of football. The results speak for themselves even if they failed to win the Premier League.
“Are they the favourites? I always trust the (events on the) pitch. Everyone has their own opinions.”
Gasperini’s Atalanta side have been one of the most typically entertaining teams on the continent over the last seven years or so.
A hat-trick from ex-Leicester City, Fulham and Everton forward Ademola Lookman secured a stunning 3-0 victory over a hitherto-unbeaten Bayer Leverkusen in last season’s Europa League final.
La Dea’s first ever major trophy.
“We had a great run in the Europa League,” former Inter Milan boss Gasperini adds. “We won a competition that had (we) been missing for many years.
“Atalanta must not think they are on par with these teams, but Atalanta have always played for just one result and will do so tomorrow too.”
When pressed further on the work Arteta has done at Arsenal, Gasperini could not speak highly enough of a man who inherited a Gunners side rudderless, leaderless and directionless, rescuing the club from the dangers of mid-table mediocrity and dragging them back towards the summit of English football.
“I don’t know him personally,” Gasperini says. “But, as a coach, he has all my respect.
“(Arsenal are) a beautiful team to watch.”
Gian Piero Gasperini is a big Mikel Arteta fan
The London giants were knocked out in the quarter-finals by Bayern Munich in last season’s Champions League. Their first foray into the competition since 2017.
Atalanta away, meanwhile, represents a tough start in a daunting fixture list. Arsenal travel to Manchester City on Sunday, and have European clashes with Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan to come over the following weeks.
“You saw that in those Bayern games, and Bayern were struggling at that point but were probably worthy winners over the two legs. So I think it takes a bit of time,” Owen Hargreaves, a Champions League winner with Manchester United in 2008, tells The Metro, expecting Arsenal to go deep again but miss out on the trophy.
“(Signing) Raheem Sterling on loan is quite interesting because he gives them experiences and extra depth to give them somebody who’s kind of been there in those games and understands what it takes.
“Kai Havertz has done an amazing job as a striker but I’m maybe slightly surprised that they didn’t add one other player to help out,” Hargreaves adds, mirroring Paul Merson’s concerns over the lack of centre-forwards.
“We’ve seen it’s hard (to win the Champions League). Look at Paris Saint-Germain, who have invested billions and haven’t been able to win.
“I do think that Arsenal are going up. They will win trophies. But the competition gets fiercer every year and that lack of depth could cost them (in Europe).”
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