Mikel Arteta is steadily improving the strength of Arsenal. Although the Gunners remain a work in progress, they are moving in the right direction under their former club captain.
The Spaniard has added Gabriel Jesus, Oleksandr Zinchenko and Fabio Vieira to his squad this summer, with Champions League qualification on the agenda this season. All in all, supporters have plenty to be excited about at the Emirates.
Arteta seems to know his football. In fact, recent news surrounding one of his early moves as Gunners boss captures his expertise in the role.
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According to reports, the 40 year-old attempted to attract Pep Lijnders to London upon his appointment at Arsenal in December 2019, with a view to employing him as his assistant.
The Dutch coach respectfully denied the proposal at the time, but it was a shrewd attempt to acquire the services of the man who is quietly responsible for much of Jurgen Klopp's success at Anfield.
Up until April 2018, Zeljko Buvac was Klopp's assistant having worked with the German throughout his coaching career at Borussia Dortmund and Mainz 05.
That summer, Buvac surprisingly left Liverpool for reasons which remain unknown, although some suspect that Lijnders' growing presence behind the scenes ended up forcing the Bosnian to leave. Lijnders was consequently appointed as Klopp's right-hand man and since, the Reds have experienced a dramatic improvement, with the former Porto coach regarded as one of the most innovative thinkers in his industry.
New signings helped - such as Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho - but it was only once Lijnders took the reins on the training ground that Liverpool began to showcase controlling principles on the pitch, learning how to manage their own tendency to embrace chaos and becoming adept at breaking down defensive blocks. Klopp appreciates that he took his coaching badges around 20 years ago. The game has since evolved, which explains why the Reds boss has gradually taken more of a back seat on Merseyside when it comes to training.
Sir Alex Ferguson did the same at Manchester United after years at the helm. The Scot began to act as more of a governing presence as a manager rather than a coach, and Lijnders has permitted Klopp to follow suit. He now oversees the majority of the coaching at Liverpool's base in Kirkby. His emergence as a prominent voice at Anfield has coincided with the team adopting elements of positional play, a concept popularised by Pep Guardiola in particular.
"I don’t like winning with 80% possession," Klopp once said but with Lijnders by his side, he's began to appreciate the benefits of establishing control on the pitch, which is what Arteta is constantly looking for. When Klopp recently extended his contract at Liverpool, he said: "Pep [Lijnders] is probably the main reason for [the extension] because he is a real energiser. This man is on fire and our connection is beyond football. When he said, 'I am in!' then it was clear that we are open."
Attempting to get Lijnders to leave Liverpool was always going to be a daring strategy but based on how he's perceived by Klopp, it was a risk worth taking. Arsenal have been fine without him, and they will continue to be fine, but supporters will surely be left wondering what might have been if Arteta had managed to bring Klopp's secret agent to the Emirates Stadium.
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