MANCHESTER CITY winger Raheem Sterling has praised former coach Mikel Arteta for making Arsenal more aggressive as he sent a warning out to the Gunners squad.
With the Spaniard to return to the Etihad on Saturday, the England international has revealed he knew the 38-year-old would succeed at the Emirates.
Raheem Sterling has lauded Mikel Arteta for the work he has done at ArsenalCredit: Getty Images – Getty
Sterling has praised Arteta for making the Gunners more aggressive off the ballCredit: AP:Associated Press
Arteta – who spent three-and-a-half years as Pep Guardiola’s assistant manager – has already won the FA Cup and Community Shield at Arsenal.
The last time Arteta faced his former employers was in the FA Cup semi-final – guiding his side to a 2-0 win.
And Sterling has lauded the former Everton midfielder, as he warned the Arsenal squad you won’t play under Arteta if you aren’t willing to run.
He said: “He’s a person that had a lot of say here. The manager trusted him here and he had a lot of influence on the players here and the team as well.
“So I knew once he went into Arsenal that it would be a great opportunity for him but also he would definitely implement what he wanted to bring in.
“And he’s a person that will put his foot down and not let things slide as you can see with the boys at Arsenal.
“They know if they don’t run they are most likely not going to play.”
Sterling then spoke of how Arteta has got Arsenal playing better off the ball.
He added: “You can see the change that he’s brought in there, you can see the energy, you can see how much he’s put into them with their off-ball work.
“We all knew before Mikel got in how much good football they could play, how technically good they were but probably off the field they weren’t as aggressive as they are with Mikel.
“They run their socks off now, you can see why they benefited with some good results recently.”
Arsenal sit five points ahead of City going into today’s match, though the Citizens have a game in hand.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
