Arsenal and Mikel Arteta: David Luiz knows a special manager

David Luiz has again heralded Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta as a special manager. And if anyone knows what makes a special manager, it is Luiz.

Mikel Arteta has made quite the impression at Arsenal. The former Manchester City assistant manager was appointed as head coach in late-December. There was a tentative excitement regarding his arrival in north London, but it came with a great scoop of caution and uncertainty. No one knew how Arteta would perform.

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Not even Arteta. The Spaniard was heralded by the City players for his coaching qualities, impacted on their collective and individual games, and was seen by many as a crucial part of why the team was so dominant, but he had never managed a team, not even a youth team, nevermind one in crisis with heaps of expectation.

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Nevertheless, despite all the potential pitfalls that Arteta could have fallen into, his first month-and-a-half has been rather successful, and the players he is in charge of have come to recognise his coaching skill and believe in the process that he is looking to master.

During the winter break, David Luiz was asked about Arteta and how the early stages of the head coach’s tenure have fared. His comments were somewhat staggering:

"“He knows football, he knows inside the pitch. He loves football, he loves to work, so this enthusiasm is contagious for everybody. What Mikel is trying to build is something big and I really believe in his philosophy, I really believe we can do something big this year and in the future, so I’m really, really happy because we have our way to go. This way, is it going to be a hard way? Yes. Is it going to be difficult to achieve? Yes, but it’s possible. Yes, it’s possible.”"

This is not the first time that Luiz has so abundantly praised his new head coach. In late-December, after Arteta had been with the team for no more than a week, Luiz heralded Arteta’s future, claiming that he is ‘going to be one of the best coaches in the world.’ High praise indeed.

And if anyone knows a great coach, it is David Luiz. He has worked with a number of elite coaches in world football. Jose Mourinho, Antonio Conte, Rafa Benitez, Guus Hiddink, Laurent Blanc, Maurizio Sarri, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Dunga, Tite. This is a who’s who of great managers in world football, and Luiz has worked with all of them in some capacity or another.

Individual stories and personal reflections do not make a great manager. Ultimately, Arteta will be judged by the product that he puts on the pitch, which is improving with every performance. This is football, after all.

But after a little more than a month, it is difficult to properly analyse the results of Arteta’s work. Before that is possible, we must use the opinions of those working with him, and few opinions carry more weight, significance and accuracy than Luiz’s. Arteta, then, might just be special.