Ruud van Nistelrooy has hailed Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and claimed that he really admires the Spaniard after the Gunners beat PSV Eindhoven last night.
The Dutch giants were viewed as Arsenal’s toughest test in the group, and although they didn’t pose much of a threat to the Gunners, they made it really difficult for them to score.
Thankfully for Arteta, Granit Xhaka broke the deadlock in the second half and sealed the win.
Ruud van Nistelrooy says he admires Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta
Van Nistelrooy has a history with Arsenal thanks to his time at Manchester United all those years ago.
However, unlike in the past, the Dutchman is a lot more composed now and was very complimentary of the Gunners and their £160,000-a-week (The Sun) manager, Arteta.
The PSV boss claimed in his press conference after the game that he really admires Arteta and that the Arsenal manager is an example to all the young coaches around the world.
He said, as relayed by Hayters TV: “Of course, I know Mikel, the way he wants to play.
“The way he has developed his team into the team you see and how they play. I was very looking forward to prepare my team against Mikel’s team. I admire him, the way he plays and the way he lets his team plays. He’s an example in that sense.
“He’s a young manager who had some rough patches last season and I’m very happy he survived that and was able to build his side and see how they’re playing and how they’re doing now in the Premiership.
“I was able to share my appreciation for Mikel, the way he is building his team, the way he’s letting his team play, the signings he has made to make his team play the way he wants to play, and he’s connecting it with results.
“If you are 10 games ahead in the Premiership, winning nine of them, you are definitely a contender. Obviously, it’s the youngest team in the Premiership – that is the challenge, but they have the squad for it, quality for it and manager for it.”
Our View:
Arteta deserves immense praise for everything he has done at Arsenal since his appointment almost three years ago.
It was his first-ever job as a manager, and he had to face all sorts of issues in his first few months at the helm – including a global pandemic that forced so many changes at the club.
Arteta had to suffer a lot and the Gunners even dropped out of European football for a season. Arsenal, however, stuck by him and backed him in the transfer windows, and they are now reaping the rewards.
Arsenal really look like the real deal this season, and if they can keep this up until the end of the season, they could achieve something really special.