Everton manager David Moyes praised former protege Mikel Arteta ahead of their Premier League meeting at the Emirates Stadium. The Scot reflected on bringing Arteta to English football and defended the Arsenal boss against past media criticism.
Moyes prepares for Emirates clash with former protégé
Everton manager David Moyes will go head-to-head with his former midfielder Mikel Arteta when the Toffees travel to face Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium. Moyes famously signed Arteta for Everton in January 2005, where the Spaniard spent six-and-a-half years before moving to North London.
Arteta has since built a stellar managerial career, winning the FA Cup in 2020 before guiding Arsenal to their first Premier League title in 22 years in May.
Moyes expressed pride in Arteta's achievements while reflecting on the tactical and cultural influences behind his success.
Moyes questions what Arteta took from his coaching style
Addressing how Arteta's managerial identity developed after working under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, Moyes pondered his own influence on the 44-year-old. "I always look and I think: ‘Mikel has had Pep, what would he take from me?’ I don’t really know," Moyes stated.
"I know how Pep works, how good his teams are and what he’s seen... But there’s a lot of other stuff like having a winning culture and a winning team."
"How you’re dealing with the players, what you’re demanding of them, the standards you set. I hope that in some way he might have taken bits of that," Moyes added.
Toffees boss slams early Arteta doubters and praises Basque influence
Moyes fiercely defended Arteta against early criticism during his tenure at Arsenal, dismissing the media pressure the Spaniard faced before delivering silverware. "I remember listening and hearing people talk about what he hadn’t done. I’m saying: ‘what a load of rubbish,’" Moyes recalled.
"He won the FA Cup at the end of the first year and folks were saying: ‘he’s not won anything.’ He’s now right up there, winning the Premier League."
Moyes also highlighted the wave of Basque managers in England, alongside Unai Emery, Andoni Iraola, and Xabi Alonso: "Look at the boys who’ve come out of the Basque Country... it looks like at the moment they’ve got the magic dust."
Arteta cemented among managerial elite
Moyes insisted that Arteta now stands alongside the finest coaches in global football as Arsenal continue to compete at the highest level in domestic and European competitions.
"He’s playing against the best teams in the Champions League," Moyes noted. "He’s right up there with the best managers in the world at the moment."
Everton visit the Emirates Stadium looking to disrupt Arteta's title-chasing Gunners in North London.