Engr. Kings👨‍🔧 For Peter Obi.

One underrated aspect of Arteta coaching is man management. People don’t praise him enough for that, and he’s so good with it. Look at Gyokeres, you see his impact, you can see his work on his link-up play. Look at Madueke, he’s improved. Look at Eze, look at every single player, look at the way they have bought into the collective and also improved. That’s man management. People don’t praise him enough for that. That’s why Arsenal are so consistent. Arteta has managed to create an environment where players understand that their individual quality must serve the collective. Nobody is bigger than the team, and you can see that in the way they play. Look at how he has managed players who aren’t guaranteed starters. He has built a squad where players can come into the team without completely disrupting what Arsenal are trying to do. Madueke is a good example. He can come in for Saka, offer something different, get minutes and still feel like an important part of the project. That is not easy to achieve, especially when you have players who are naturally ambitious and want to start every game. Then there’s Gyokeres. Strikers are often judged purely on goals, but you can see the effort being put into making him a more complete player. His link-up play, his understanding of when to hold the ball, when to release it and how to connect with the players around him are important developments. He’s integrating him into a functioning attacking structure. Arteta has created competition without allowing it to become unhealthy. You have quality players competing for positions, but the overall feeling is that everybody has a role to play. Players understand that not starting one game doesn’t mean they’re no longer important to the project. People talk about his tactical improvements, his defensive organisation, his recruitment and the quality of his squad, but the human side of management is as important as any. Because you can have the best tactical ideas in football, but if your players don’t believe in you, don’t trust your decisions and aren’t willing to sacrifice for one another, those ideas will struggle to work. Arteta has built that trust at Arsenal. He’s got players who believe in the project, understand their responsibilities and are willing to improve for the benefit of the team. Top tier Man Management.