Arsenal boss Arteta hails Diego Simeone ahead of Atlético showdown | OneFootball

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has on Monday moved to reveal his appreciation for the managerial talents of Atlético Madrid counterpart Diego Simeone.

This of course comes ahead of the upcoming continental showdown between the two managers.

One of the headline fixtures of the upcoming Champions League gameweek is of course set to play out at The Emirates on Tuesday night.

As much will see the aforementioned Arsenal act as hosts, in a meeting with Atlético Madrid.

During an appearance in front of the media on the eve of the clash, the aforementioned Mikel Arteta was therefore drawn on the talents of Atlético’s beloved headmaster.

After a shaky start to the campaign, Diego Simeone has managed to get things firmly back on track in Spain’s capital, in the midst of a run of four wins from five across all competitions.

And the significance of the long-term efforts put forth by the Argentine at Atléti have not gone at all overlooked on the part of his Arsenal counterpart, who explained:

“Diego Simeone is someone I admire and learn from in many situations. What stands out most to me is his passion. Considering how long he’s been in football, at the same club, with many of the same players, and how he still maintains that dominance and that ability to transmit so much energy and hunger to win, that’s remarkable. We live in a very demanding environment, and to keep convincing players, you have to be extraordinary. I don’t know him personally, but everything I’ve heard about him is that he’s excellent at that. That’s one of the reasons he’s been able to stay at that level.

“Simeone being in the Premier League would make things more difficult, we already have enough excellent coaches here. It would depend entirely on him if one day he wants to experience that. What I can say is that from what I’ve seen, and after analyzing his team, they’re very well coached.

“My perception of him is one of admiration because the level of consistency, work ethic, identity, and what he transmits is incredibly difficult to achieve. He’s very good, surrounded by great people, and he’s instilled that mentality that has lasted so long.“

Conor Laird – GSFN