{"id":22833,"date":"2026-02-10T12:59:34","date_gmt":"2026-02-10T12:59:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/10\/mikel-arteta-admits-he-was-too-focused-on-tactics-in-his-early-days-as-arsenal-manager-how-important-is-the-emotional-part\/"},"modified":"2026-02-10T12:59:34","modified_gmt":"2026-02-10T12:59:34","slug":"mikel-arteta-admits-he-was-too-focused-on-tactics-in-his-early-days-as-arsenal-manager-how-important-is-the-emotional-part","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/eplvip.com\/index.php\/2026\/02\/10\/mikel-arteta-admits-he-was-too-focused-on-tactics-in-his-early-days-as-arsenal-manager-how-important-is-the-emotional-part\/","title":{"rendered":"Mikel Arteta admits he was “too focused on tactics” in his early days as Arsenal manager – “How important is the emotional part?”"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Arteta reveals his biggest mistake as Arsenal manager<\/p>\n

Video credit: TNT Sports<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Mikel Arteta says he focused too much on tactics in the early stages of his tenure as Arsenal manager and underestimated the importance of providing psychological support to his players.<\/div>\n

The 43-year-old has been at the helm of the Emirates Stadium for more than six years, having taken over as manager in 2019, three years after ending his playing career at the club. <\/p>\n

The Spaniard finished eighth in the Premier League in his first season, but after finishing second for the third year in a row, he is now the favorite to win the title.<\/div>\n
And speaking to Sunday League manager Alex Lodge on the latest episode of TNT Sports’ Connected ahead of Thursday’s clash with Brentford, which will be broadcast live on TNT Sports and discovery+, Arteta claimed he made “a lot” of mistakes along the way.<\/div>\n

\u201cOne thing is that sometimes you concentrate,\u201d Arteta said. \u201cEspecially in the beginning, there was too much emphasis on the tactical side, so maybe we were cramming in too much information.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo how important is the emotional part? When a player isn\u2019t executing, why doesn\u2019t he execute? <\/p>\n

“He can’t do it, you’re asking him to do something he can’t do, or he has some fears or doubts or doesn’t have enough clarity about why he’s doing certain things.<\/p>\n

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Arteta reveals what he learned from Wenger at Arsenal<\/p>\n

Video credit: TNT Sports<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“Providing that to the player is the most important thing. When the player connects and understands how to better respond to your requests, that’s when you touch the right buttons.”<\/p>\n

The main characteristic of Arsenal’s development under Arteta is their strength in set-pieces, especially in attack. <\/p>\n

In the Premier League this season, the Gunners have tied for the most goals from set pieces alongside Chelsea, and excluding penalties, the Gunners have scored two more goals than any other team in the region. <\/p>\n

The man behind this success is set-piece coach Nicola Jobar, whom Arteta introduced to Manchester City when he was Josep Guardiola’s assistant and brought to Arsenal in 2021. <\/p>\n

Arteta acknowledged the need to have different “experts” like Jover within the coaching team, particularly when it comes to things like set-pieces, saying it was “very important”.<\/p>\n

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Mikel Arteta and Nicolas Jober<\/p>\n

Image credit: Getty Images<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

The Arsenal manager added: “Eight or nine years ago, when I brought Nico to Man City with an idea, it was to create something that would be part of something. You can’t separate the game with open play, restarts, set-pieces and direct play, everything is too interconnected.”<\/p>\n

\u201cThe way you prepare it is so relevant that all the coaches need to buy into it, the players need to buy into it, the facility staff needs to buy into it, because the process needs to be very linked and therefore also very unstable.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut you need experts who are better than you in certain areas.\u201d<\/p>\n

Arteta spent more than three years under Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium between 2016 and 2019 before returning to north London to take up his first managerial job.<\/p>\n

He was part of the coaching team that helped City win back-to-back league titles in 2017\/18, when they were the only team to reach 100 points, and in 2018\/19, when they beat Jurgen Klopp’s Liverpool by one point.<\/p>\n

Arteta says the past few years have been an “incredible experience”, working with some of the “best” players in history, but Guardiola’s education began long before then. <\/p>\n

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Arteta talks about working with ‘master’ Guardiola at Man City<\/p>\n

Video credit: TNT Sports<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

“I’ve been learning from Pep since we first met at Barcelona when we were 15 years old,” Arteta said. \u201cAfter that, I had the opportunity to work with him and we had many great moments together.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe was a master, the greatest of all time in my opinion, someone who revolutionized the game and the way we understood it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a truly wonderful experience to be a part of it, and I am truly grateful.\u201d<\/p>\n

Watch the 2025\/26 Premier League season on TNT Sports and Discovery+<\/div>\n<\/div>\n


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