Neil Humphreys: Apprentice finally meets master
Arsenal manager Arteta deserves a little Pep after Covid-19 recovery
When Pep Guardiola's mother died, one of the first people to contact him was Mikel Arteta. The Arsenal manager knew what his old mentor was going through.
Covid-19 has affected these men in ways we cannot imagine.
The coronavirus took Guardiola's mother in April after briefly taking Arteta's identity. He became a statistic.
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He was the first significant figure in the English Premier League to contract Covid-19. The Arsenal manager brought the magnitude of the pandemic a little too close to home.
If Arteta could catch it, no one was safe. His diagnosis proved to be the tipping point. When he tested positive on March 12, the EPL suspended its season just a few hours later.
Arteta understood the impact that the virus had on one's family. So he called Guardiola and consoled his friend.
In that moment, they were not master and apprentice. They were victims of Covid-19. They had a shared empathy, reinforcing the deep relationship that the two had enjoyed when Arteta served as Guardiola's coach at Manchester City.
So it seems fitting that the two men meet on the opening night of the EPL's return.
When Manchester City host Arsenal tomorrow morning (Singapore time), it will be an acknowledgement that life goes on - because it must - even if it will never be quite the same.
This match feels like unfinished business. The Gunners were preparing for their trip to City when Arteta tested positive. His health issues not only bookend the postponement, but they also encapsulate Arsenal's mercurial fortunes.
Before lockdown, an eight-game unbeaten run in the EPL offered the first glimmer of consistency in a rough season, even before Covid-19.
It seems another lifetime now, but Arsenal's early headlines involved a different manager, and Mesut Oezil and Sead Kolasinac's carjacking.
Unai Emery was subsequently fired and a rookie replaced him. Arteta spent three years under Guardiola's tutelage, but not a minute as an EPL manager.
Still, Arteta's enduring popularity as a former Gunner and a general acceptance that he inherited a ramshackle squad bought him time and goodwill, which came in handy after an early exit in the Europa League.
MANDATE
According to City, he worked wonders with emerging talents, particularly Leroy Sane, and was given a similar mandate at Arsenal. Bukayo Saka has already blossomed under his guidance.
Arteta was hired to build the future, but the present intervened in an alarming fashion. Thanks to Covid-19, the financial stakes skyrocketed.
In March, Champions League qualification was viewed as a bonus. Now it feels like a necessity for a club with a £230 million (S$400m) wage bill and the prospect of an empty stadium for the foreseeable future.
Lose out on the Champions League and Arsenal will almost certainly lose the outstanding Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and possibly Saka, too.
Fortunately, time has been kind. Lucas Torreira, Hector Bellerin, Rob Holding and Kieran Tierney have all recovered from injuries.
Lockdown has given Arteta a couple of months to communicate his long-term tactical ideas with the club as he seeks to eradicate the Gunners' schizophrenic tendencies on the pitch.
Plus, he knows a good deal more about City's dressing room than Guardiola knows about Arsenal's internal planning.
The Etihad visitors will also be among the first to test the biggest unknown of unknowns - the apparent away bonus. Football is back, but the 12th man remains in quarantine.
The Bundesliga's "ghost games" have thrown up fascinating statistics - a drop in home wins, fewer home team goals and more away victories. It turns out the fans really do matter after all. Who knew?
RELATIVE SILENCE
How much their absence counts at the Etihad remains to be seen, but the relative silence promises to be intriguing in City's case.
Unlike Anfield, Old Trafford or even Goodison Park, the Etihad isn't renowned for its volume. But Guardiola's possession-based game isn't quite as dependent upon the crowd's energy to feed what is often a patient, cerebral beast.
Arteta, on the other hand, will have examined those Bundesliga stats with keen interest. The Etihad trip is the first of four away fixtures in a row.
If the Bundesliga pattern repeats itself in the EPL, then Arsenal could be halfway to the Champions League in just over a week. But permutations and predictions feel almost insensitive as the season resumes with two brave and dignified men.
They are back. That is all that matters. When Arteta and Guardiola step out at the Etihad, they have already won.
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