Arsenal: Mikel Arteta proving he is more than a coach

Mikel Arteta arrived at Arsenal with a remarkable coaching pedigree. But could he be a manager? The early signs suggest he can; the early signs suggest he is more than just a coach.

That Mikel Arteta was a great coach but not necessarily a great manager was a common criticism of when it first looked like he might finally be the new Arsenal head coach. Comments like the following from Danny Higgingbottom’s column in The Sun were aplenty:

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"“By all accounts Arteta is a brilliant coach, trusted implicitly by Pep Guardiola. When he was a player — and Guardiola was yet to arrive on these shores — the now-Manchester City boss would speak to Arteta to get information about any English team he was playing. He used to take a lot of the training at City as well — but is a coach what Arsenal need now?”"

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Given that Arteta had never managed a team before coming to north London, it was a fair question. And Arteta himself fielded questions regarding his lack of experience in his introductory press conference, conceding that it is fair for people to make such a criticism.

But while it was always presumed that Arteta would be a terrific coach, as evidenced by how the Manchester City players spoke about his input in their own individual games, the early signs of his time in north London suggest he can be a great manager too.

This week, Mesut Ozil revealed how Arteta has changed the atmosphere at the club:

"“These are the things that he is working on with us and you can see it – everyone is smiling, laughing, enjoying their time at the moment and this has made us be successful now.”"

Earlier this year, David Luiz heralded Arteta has a brilliant coach who will inspire ‘big things in the future’:

"“I believe he [Arteta] can improve every player. Mikel is a great coach and knows football. He was a great player, he brings things and I believe in his philosophy. We are going to do big things in the future, but step by step.”"

Granit Xhaka was convinced to stay at the club — at least until the end of the season — by conversations with Arteta, while Ozil is working harder than ever, every individual seems to be buying into Arteta’s philosophy, which cannot exactly be said for his predecessor, while there is clear improvement in the culture and feel of the squad and club.

Of course, none of this guarantees that Arteta will be a successful manager as well as a successful coach. He is not yet a month into the new job. Drawing any meaningful conclusions about his managerial success or lack thereof would be utterly naive and irresponsible. But they are unquestionably positive signs.

Arteta is making hay as Arsenal manager, not just Arsenal head coach. He is proving he is more than just a man on the training ground. He can be a leader, an inspiration, a manager. And that could truly revolutionise the haphazard club he inherited.