Jose Mourinho’s prediction of Mikel Arteta and his young Arsenal side has proven true as his quotes from 2020 resurface. The former Tottenham Hotspur manager had previously claimed the Gunners were heading in the right direction under the Spaniard.
Tottenham won 2-0 at home to Arsenal under Mourinho in 2020 when the Portuguese manager delivered his verdict on Arteta in the post-match interview. Son Heung-Min and Harry Kane scored in the first half as Spurs cruised to a win despite having just 30% possession in the game.
Mourinho claimed that the Gunners’ league position at the time did not do justice to the work being done behind the scenes. He heaped praise on Arsenal manager Arteta and said:
“I want to give good words and congratulations to Mikel because he gave us a very difficult game. Tactically, they are very good, they were very well organised, they were building with four, defending with five. Then in the second half, they tried to find triangles on the side and they gave us problems, problems that we managed to resolve because the players in this moment have good tactical culture.”
Mourinho added:
“And even above that, they have an incredible spirit, but they gave us problems because they are a good team and he (Arteta) is a good coach. But we deserved to win, I guess, because two amazing goals. I can imagine tomorrow there, that the headlines will be about them not being in a good position on the table. But I believe with this players, with Mikel, Arsenal will be Arsenal again.”
Can Arsenal win the Premier League title?
Mikel Arteta has refused to talk much about his side’s chances at winning the Premier League title this season. However, the Spaniard has claimed that the eventual winner will need over 90 points this season to get their hands on the trophy.
Speaking to the media after the win over Tottenham on January 15, Arteta said:
“I don’t want to do too many calculations. It’s how we are going to prepare for the game against Man United now, to get another three points and play well and deserve to win. You ask me about points but it’s happened in the last four or five seasons so it will demand almost perfection.”
The Gunners are eight points clear of Manchester City at the top of the table after 18 games, having earned 47 points.