Mikel Arteta on AI, young players and Fabian Hürzeler: Brighton pre-match press conference embargoed section | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta discussed managing young players, the use of artificial intelligence in football and his admiration for Brighton & Hove Albion head coach Fabian Hürzeler during the embargoed section of his pre-match press conference.

Arteta on managing young players

Arteta was asked how his management had changed from dealing with former teammates early in his Arsenal tenure to now working with players young enough to be his children.

He said working with teenagers brought an added responsibility because a manager’s language and behaviour could influence their wider development.

“When it comes to somebody that has the age of any of my sons, that’s another kind of responsibility,” Arteta said.

“The language that you use, or the way that you communicate with them, is part of education.”

The Spaniard also stressed the importance of maintaining communication with players’ families, particularly when youngsters were balancing football with education.

AI can help, but not replace instinct

Arteta was also asked how artificial intelligence could assist football managers.

He said Arsenal could use AI and data as part of their methodology, preparation and decision-making, but insisted technology should never replace a coach’s judgement.

“I think it can help, but it can never take away the gut feeling and what you are able to see with your eyes,” Arteta said.

He added that the main challenge was turning large amounts of information into something simple and useful.

“You can put data there and you can manipulate it in any way that you possibly want,” he said. “But try to be very specific and make sure that then we can simplify everything to very concrete messages and ways of acting.”

Arteta praises Hürzeler and Brighton

Ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Brighton, Arteta gave a strong endorsement of Hürzeler and the club’s recent coaching appointments.

“I rate him very highly,” Arteta said. “When they make an appointment and a decision like this, it’s because they’ve done the homework so well.”

He pointed to Brighton’s progression under Graham Potter, Roberto De Zerbi and now Hürzeler.

“He is a top coach, and you can clearly see that,” Arteta added. “It’s a team that is really nice to watch.”

Arsenal must be able to win in different ways

Arteta also responded to questions about criticism of Arsenal’s style in difficult matches.

He said his priority was ensuring his team could find solutions even when they were unable to play at their best.

“My job is to get a team that, whatever the context is, is able to win,” he said.

“When you’re not particularly at your best in a game, what do you do? You need to find a way to go and win it.”

Arsenal keeping Max for now

Arteta finished by discussing Max’s development and revealed Arsenal had received significant loan interest.

However, the club had decided to keep him with the first team.

“We haven’t really listened to any of the possibilities because we were basically clear that we wanted to have him in the squad,” Arteta said.

Arsenal plan to reassess his situation every six months, with playing time, performances and squad availability all influencing any future decision.

“For now, he’s in a great place,” Arteta added. “Let’s keep him here.”