Moyes vs Arteta: The Master and the Apprentice

When Mikel Arteta took over at Arsenal a little over six years ago, the general thought process was he would be something of a Pep Guardiola lite.

Arteta, a silky midfielder in his playing days — albeit not one without a fair bit of bite — had been a key part of Guardiola’s backroom staff at Manchester City between 2016 and midway through the 2019-20 campaign, when he left to join the Gunners for his first job as a manager.

So, it was natural to assume Arteta would attempt to implement a Man City-like style at Arsenal. Possession and patience.

And, in fairness, across the first couple of seasons of Arteta’s Arsenal, that seemed to be the case, especially when the Gunners signed Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko from Man City in 2022, while playmaker Martin Odegaard was one of Arteta’s first signings,

Zinchenko, especially, was crucial as he stepped from left-back into a central midfield role, creating an overload in the centre of the pitch and allowing Arsenal to dominate.

But now, it’s different.

Arsenal still dominate the ball — only Chelsea, Man City and Liverpool have averaged more possession than the Gunners this term — but, as much has been made of, this Premier League is all about physicality.

And this is where the influence of David Moyes on Arteta’s coaching cannot be underestimated.

Sure, Arteta will have learned plenty from Guardiola, as he will have done from Arsene Wenger, but it is worth remembering he spent a huge chunk of his career, when he really came into his own, too, under Moyes at Everton.

Arteta had played briefly at Rangers before he signed for Everton in January 2005. As Moyes himself pointed out a couple of weeks ago, Arteta had to then settle for a place on the wing before he eventually moved into the centre of the park.

Arteta became “the best little Spaniard” Evertonians knew, and at his peak, was unarguably one of the best midfielders in the Premier League, who was on the verge of a much-deserved Spain call-up just before his ACL injury in 2009.

And it is clear now, as Arsenal have transformed into the best set-piece team in Europe, while having the stingiest defence, too, just how much Arteta learned from Moyes.

It would be unfair to suggest Moyes is a purely defensive manager, but he is certainly a pragmatist. There’s been enough frustration directed his way from Evertonians this season.

And the more Arteta has got his feet under the table, and the more Arsenal have spent, the more he has gone further away from Guardiola, and much more towards the Moyes school of thinking.

Sometimes, as it has often been with Moyes, this pragmatism has come to hinder Arsenal.

Arteta has at times been too reluctant to release the handbrake, and you could well point to those instances as being when the Gunners have come up short.

But look at this season: Top of the Premier League, with a 7-point cushion, into the League Cup final, into the last eight of the FA Cup and they finished top of the Champions League standings in the first phase.

Arteta has the added advantage of having top-tier players in every position, with Arsenal having spent big during his tenure, and he has set himself on a road where success is really the only destination. If Arsenal don’t get the job done this term, then it may well be it for him, at least in the eyes of some supporters, especially those who became so accustomed to the beautiful game in days gone by.

On Saturday, Arteta's Arsenal will aim to continue their charge towards the title when Moyes’s men roll down to the Emirates Stadium.

Given Everton’s away form, as strong as Arsenal have been, there is no reason to fear. It is unlikely to be a free-flowing game, though — expect a war of attrition, plenty of set-piece tussles. In theory, that should suit Everton well, but then again, the Gunners are the masters of it.

Arteta has had the better of his meetings with Moyes so far, winning 7 of his 11 league games against his old manager, suffering just one defeat.

This is a strange old season, though, and Moyes will be out to prove the master can still get the better of the apprentice.

 

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