Ahead of Arsenal’s fixture against Brighton, Mikel Arteta opened up about the difficulties of being the Gunners’ manager and his struggle.
Being a football player and a manager hits differently with Mikel Arteta. It hits differently with any former player who makes the tough decision to become a professional coach. The massive struggles he’s had to endure over the last few months are the main reason most footballers run away from the life of a manager. However, there are some crazy ones who love the whole experience as Arteta does.
But loving the job doesn’t make it any less difficult. This is all about learning how to lead a large number of people towards the common goal of lifting trophies at the end of a season. There are only a few who can make this happen in a successful manner. In Arteta’s case, his debut season as a coach was a success but he knew he would find obstacles in subsequent years.
Arteta knows managing is way more difficult.
Earlier today, Arteta smiled when asked what was more difficult between playing and coaching. Being a footballer means you only have to worry about yourself, unlike playing the role of a manager. Arteta responded when asked via the club’s website: “It’s just managing. Because you have a lot of people around you that you have to lead at the end that you have to take care of. I always say at the end that you have 70 hearts, on that training ground, in that stadium, in that dressing room that you have to look after every day.
“And every word, every decision you make has an impact in their mood, it has an impact in their lives, it has an impact in their next day. So, you are very conscious of that and you get very attached emotionally to them and the way I am personally attached to this football club, these emotions are even bigger and stronger. And then obviously it drains you energy wise.”
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