Mikel Arteta might be plotting Pep Guardiola's downfall this week but the Arsenal boss' management success was very much made in Manchester.
That's the verdict of Manchester City legend Vincent Kompany who was Etihad skipper when Arteta was Guardiola's assistant. Arteta took the plunge to go it alone and join the Gunners in 2019 and he's guided them to the summit of the Premier League ahead of Wednesday night's visit of City in a top-of-the-table clash.
Kompany is top of his own table with Burnley in the Championship and is well set to be a Premier League boss himself next season. And the Belgian says he could see as a player the Arteta attributes that would make a successful manager.
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"He was hungry, he was very active, full of energy, and obviously he was in a good environment to develop and grow his own ideas," said Kompany of the Gunners chief. "I'm not surprised he's been doing well with Arsenal and definitely he's going to continue doing well, there's no doubt about that.
"You could see Mikel was in that transition moment from being a player to being a coach. Like any good coaching staff is supposed to work he was definitely an extension of Pep, probably the one in the coaching staff that was closer to the players, and understanding fully what Pep wanted as a manager.
"The only thing I could see at the time is it was a very natural good relationship, understanding, a great compatibility between the two. I could draw the link to what he's doing now and that's why I'm not surprised.
"He's been in a good environment, he's been willing to learn. He's got the energy and especially the resilience to deal with setbacks and keep going, draw his own conclusions and improve. That's why I think he's doing so well with Arsenal."
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