Mikel Arteta says that advice given to him by mentor Pep Guardiola has helped him get through his low moments as Arsenal manager.
Arteta is about to embark upon his third full season in charge of the Gunners, having taken over the reins from Unai Emery in December 2019. During that time he has won 71 of his 131 games in charge, overseeing finishes of eighth, eighth and fifth in the Premier League while also winning the FA Cup in 2020.
While the Gunners now appear to be on an upward trajectory following a second successive summer of major investment in the transfer window, Arteta has endured many difficult spells during his tenure. Arsenal were rock-bottom of the Premier League following a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of Guardiola’s Manchester City side on August 28, 2021.
Arteta had overseen a run of three straight defeats to start the season and was immediately under pressure to turn things around. The period is one of many low points caught on camera in Prime Video series All or Nothing: Arsenal , which launches on Thursday. It is also one instance where Arteta drew on advice given to him by Guardiola, whom he worked under as assistant at City for three and a half years.
“One of the biggest [pieces of] advice that Pep gave me, he used to tell me that this is the loneliest profession,” Arteta says in the documentary. “When you close that door, it’s you and your worries and your issues and your decisions that are always there.
“I don’t regret one bit the decisions that I make. Every difficult moment is making me a better person, or a better professional, or is preparing me for something that is going to come forward, is another challenge. And this is the way I take it – it’s my decision to be here.”
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Arteta has often spoken about the influence Guardiola has had on his management style. The pair first met way back when Arteta was a 15-year-old at Barcelona ’s La Masia academy and Guardiola, nine years his elder, was the club captain.
“Absolutely and I admire him," Arteta revealed in February when asked about Guardiola. “I had a lot of joy working together and success. We spent a lot of time together and he is a friend. I have to apply my own things. He was part of my development as a person to go through a lot of things I experienced next to him.
“It was a privilege and of course a lot of the things I took on board, that I felt from my time at Barcelona, we shared together and a lot of things I learned from his management. I always talk with him. He is a really good friend of mine. I respect him so much. We share a lot of things in our life and we discuss everything.”
All or Nothing: Arsenal launches on Prime Video on Thursday 4 th August, with new episodes weekly
