11 October 2023 , 17:13
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Cesc Fabregas has lauded Mikel Arteta 's principles and coaching techniques after visiting the Arsenal manager and his squad at the club's London Colney training base.
Fabregas, 36, is an Emirates favourite after spending eight years with the Gunners at the start of his playing career but has since moved into coaching with Serie B outfit Como, where he is B team manager.
The former Spain international has been in and around the Arsenal training ground in recent weeks and got a first-hand view of preparations for last weekend's crunch clash with Manchester City, which the Gunners won 1-0 right at the death.
And Fabregas was full of praise for Arteta while speaking to Premier League Productions after Sunday's triumph, which put Arsenal ahead of City in the table ahead of the international break.
After being asked if Arteta's tactical approach - playing out from the back with David Raya to beat a man-to-man press - was "admirable", Fabregas responded: "Definitely. Now that I am on the other side, I do believe how important a coach is.
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"I always thought, 'Okay, this coach has been important for me, this one not so much', but it's so much up to you to give courage and how you make your players believe that what you asking them to do is the right thing to win games and play well.
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Cesc Fabregas was full of praise for Mikel Arteta's principles and coaching techniques following Arsenal's win over Manchester City (ITV Sport)"Definitely he has got that in him. He's a big believer of motivational speeches, of giving courage to players and inspiring them in certain ways. And it works very well with these young players, so fair play to him and hopefully they keep doing well."
Fabregas, who made over 300 appearances for Arsenal, also predicted that the win over City would only reinforce the team's belief that they can win the Premier League this year; a triumph that would end a 20-year title drought.
He added: "[The result] will just bring more positivity. I know how much they want to win the Premier League. I have been at the training ground recently and I know that they are waiting. I can smell it. They working towards that moment in a very passionate way.
"They are doing everything in every way to make this happen. With this young group, with the energy, the passion, the quality and the hunger they are showing each week. I think it [winning the Premier League] is closer than it has ever been for the last 12-15 years."