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Manchester City Assistant Coach Mikel Arteta Pays Anfield The Ultimate Compliment

Manchester City Assistant Coach Mikel Arteta Pays Anfield The Ultimate Compliment

He has heaped special praise on Anfield.

Nasir Jabbar

Nasir Jabbar

Mikel Arteta has coined his own term to describe Anfield's legendary atmosphere.

The Manchester City assistant coach sat down with Spanish outlet Marca and he spoke about a range of topics including Liverpool's iconic home.

Last season, City beat Liverpool to the Premier League trophy in an unprecedented title race and the Spaniard wasn't surprised about the club's title challenge.

"No, because it is very difficult to beat them," he said about Liverpool before heaping special praise on Anfield. "Also, in my playing career, Anfield was the only ground where in which I had the feeling of 'pájara', of being stuck.

"It happened to me with Arsenal, and we conceded five... You say: 'I do not know what's going on, stop the game, please, because I do not know where I am'.

"It's hard to explain, but it never happened to me anywhere other than Anfield.

"Barça surprise me by the form of some of their goals, but at Anfield you can concede five without knowing.

"Neither in Spain nor in Greece or Germany did I have that feeling. Not even in Old Trafford."

Image: PA
Image: PA
Image: PA
Image: PA

Arteta also touched on Pep Guardiola's managerial style and called him a "tireless" worker.

"With Guardiola, it is a daily challenge. He is super-efficient with himself, and those around him should always be seeking improvements, evolutions," he added.

"The challenge is how to be better than the day before, than the previous game.

"(Guardiola) is a tireless worker. People say: 'Pep is a genius'. And yes, he has a lot of ideas. But if I had to define it, I would say, first, that it is a tireless 'worker'.

"And, in addition, he is very brave. His decisions are always focused on the attack... Love the attack.

"Pep is always on the field, but he must also be fresh when he wants to give a tactical or analytical input. I do more of the individual player monitoring.

"Pep is very tactical, very interventionist. He never stays in his office. He is always on the field.

"We know exactly what training we need to do for the next match and opponent. Every minute of training is gold."

The 37-year-old ex-Everton midfielder has been Guardiola's trusted right-hand man since 2016, and Arteta himself has also been garnering plenty of praise for his coaching methods.

Featured Image Credit:

Topics: Manchester City, Liverpool, Football News, Anfield, Football, Pep Guardiola, Premier League, Everton, Jurgen Klopp, Mikel Arteta