Mikel Arteta said Mauricio Pochettino was 바카라like a father바카라 to him in his early playing days ahead of their meeting in Arsenal바카라s clash against Chelsea in the Premier League. (More Football News)
Arteta played alongside the Chelsea boss at Paris St Germain before their rise as coaches in Europe바카라s top divisions.
The Arsenal manager talked up the influence Pochettino had on him as a player, admitting he was inspired by the Argentinian as a teenager.
The pair will face off at the Emirates on Tuesday.
When asked how influential Pochettino was for Arteta as a player, he said: 바카라He바카라s one of the most.
바카라I was 17 or 18 in Paris with no experience in professional football. He doesn바카라t like me saying it but to me he was like a father, he took me under his arm, he gave me incredible advice and protected me, he inspired me and I learned so much in our two years together.바카라
Arteta바카라s top-of-the-table Gunners have come a long way since he took over in 2019.
They sit one point ahead of Manchester City, who have a game in hand, and lead Liverpool on goal difference as they continue their bid for Premier League glory with five games remaining.
Arteta sought the opinion of Pochettino before leaving Manchester City as Pep Guardiola바카라s assistant to become manager of the north London side.
바카라When I had to make a decision I asked him and explained the situation and he gave me some advice and he was needed,바카라 Arteta added.
바카라I admire what he바카라s done in his career and he바카라s someone I바카라ve looked to because he was impactful to me in the most important stage of my career. As a role model I can바카라t pick anyone better.
바카라He doesn바카라t need to help me about tactics. The best influence he has had on me is the way he speaks about his life, his professionalism, his family and who he was as a figure in the dressing room and the passion and love he has for the game.
바카라That for me is the most important things which I learnt from him.바카라
A league title will be Arsenal바카라s first since 2003-04.
Arteta, whose side were dumped out of the Champions League by Bayern Munich last week, noted that there are further steps he wants his team to make in their development.
He said: 바카라We need to see how we can make another step or two forward because that바카라s what this team is demanding to keep moving forward in a ruthless way because we바카라re not satisfied.
바카라You can see the team really wants it. We will try to be as fresh as possible but I think we can cope with that.바카라
