Pablo Mari has lavished praise on Mikel Arteta for being both a good person and one of the best coaches in the world.
Despite struggling for game time under his Spanish compatriot since signing from Flamengo two years ago, the centre-back harbours no grudges about the way his time at Arsenal has panned out.
Instead, Mari is thankful for what he’s been taught by the manager and the new opportunity he has at Udinese, for whom he’ll play on loan until the summer.
Reflecting on a conversation with Arteta had towards the end of last year, the 29-year-old told ESPN: “In the winter, we made commitments together. I explained my situation to him, my feelings. I don’t play in the last six months. [He said] the plan in the next six months until June is going to be the same.
“I can play, of course, because maybe other centre-backs get injured, there can be a red card, or yellow cards, but it is going to be one, two, maximum three or four games. At the end, I don’t want that for me.
“[Arteta] was a really, really, really good person in that moment. He said to me ‘everything that you need, you deserve that. You were a professional player until the end and you deserve it so everything I can help you, I’m going to do it.’ I’m so glad to hear that from a coach because it was not an easy moment for me.”
Mari also opened up on the way Arteta prepares his team for matches and how his own game has benefited.
“I have to say he is one of the best coaches in the world because when he does the game plan…I never see it like this,” he said.
“How he finds solutions for us and makes it easy to play the game: I’ve never seen something like this. That means he is an amazing coach. To give you the tools to play a game more easily, that’s amazing because when you go to the pitch, you already have in your head the type of thing you have to do to play easy.
He added: “He gave me the tool that if I can take three or four seconds before the ball arrives to me, I am going to have this three or four seconds to think for the next action. \
“For me, this was the key because I have time [now]. He was the only coach to give me that tool and make football more easy.
“I play more easy and I can see another type of option that before I never saw because before, I never had time with the ball. So now at the moment, I put in my head another level because of [Arteta].”
While admitting he’d love to return to Arsenal and make a proper fist of the opportunity in the final two years of his contract, Mari says his short-term focus is on enjoying his football at Udinese. With four consecutive Serie A starts under his belt, things are going well.
“I never close that door,” he said of returning to Emirates Stadium.
“It continues to be my dream, playing for a big club in the world and for Arsenal of course. I played there for two years, I have two more years [on my] contract.
“Of course, it would be my dream. But at the end, I don’t know. I don’t know what is going to happen tomorrow, I cannot predict what is going to happen next year. He is there? Yes of course. I would like to be there? Yes of course, but I don’t know what is going to happen.
“I want to be focused on now, in the present, what I can do now to enjoy again to play football and to feel again that I am a professional football player.”
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If you get a spare five minutes, it’s well worth reading the full interview between Pablo and journalist James Olley.
Its no secret, Mikel is going to be a great coach and has all the A’s on paper. Experience can only be gotten with time however. He is still in a learning process. I hope when he becomes the finished product that he stays with us.
He already is a great coach.
I also hope Arteta will become a great coach, but to claim that he is already one?
Exactly.
OTT.
No he isn’t. He’s ok but not great.
Match what George Graham achieved, never mind Arsene Wenger and he might be considered ‘great.’ Until then, he’s good/ok/ satisfactory.
For Mari to call him “one of the best coaches in the world” is ridiculous. It really is.
Honestly, some of you sensationalists on here.
And honestly some of you on here dont seem to acknowledge any progress either.
Come back to me when we’ve got top four.
That’ll be progress.
At the moment, we’re no better off in terms of ECL football than we were five years ago. Still a lot of work to do.
I can see the progress from 8th place to realistic Europa League qualification.
Meanwhile, what progress do you see that justifies ‘Great’ exactly?
At last.
Someone who gets it.
Good luck to him. Decent player but will struggle for game time versus Gabriel, Saliba, Holding and White, so can’t see him coming back and playing much. So likely to be moving on.
I guess Trusty will be our left footed back up option as well…..
I trust you are correct
I’d put decent money on Trusty never playing a Premier League game for Arsenal.
Yeah, agree unless we have a horror show with injuries…
Who is trusty!
The bloodhound in Disney’s ‘Lady and the Tramp.’
American CB we bought from the MLS (Colorado Rapids maybe) inn January…..people who know about the MLS say he’s decent
I wouldn’t be so sure. Stranger things have happened.
Trusty the process
🎵🎶
Was a jolly happy soul….🎵🎶
As much as I love Holding, I suspect he’ll be the one to give way for Saliba next season.
Mari might return as Gabriel’s back up until Trusty is ready.
I hope I am wrong cos I love Holding, especially when we are protecting a lead.
He is the major reason we left The Molineux with the 3 points.
I think Rob stays, seems content being a backup for now; will hopefully have European minutes to give out next season; helps homegrown quota.
What other coaches did he have? 😛
Pep
He never played for Man City I think.
It is still a hard pill for some to swallow. But he’s transformed the team from probably one of the worst Arsenal team cultures in club history to a team with fight and guts and unity, something we can be proud of. He’s populated the team with a group of very talented young players that most fans are really starting to connect to. He’s got this young group in strong position for a CL spot, which few thought was possible at the start of the season. And he’s brought the club another FA Cup trophy. Still, I think he’ll win… Read more »
Arteta is definitely a top coach but please lets keep the praise for the end of the season because if we are out of top 6 he doesnt deserve it.
We paid millions to offload players and millions to buy players that of course they will have unity since they just came and gave a boost.
Having said that. If we finish top 6 or even better top 4, that will be a great achievement.
I will hold my breath
I dont get these takes like you have to wait until the end of the season??? Hes doing good work, has buy in, has support, the crowd is as joyous at the emirates as I’ve ever heard it. Can you not respect the fact that we are on the right path?? There’s a lot of other fans for other clubs that would love to just have a consistent direction of travel like us right now…. Whats the point in being a fan if you have to reserve your appreciation for the club and its employees based on league placement at… Read more »
You are correct. We should support the manager and the team.
I just meant that overstatements like “he is one of the best managers in the world etc” do not reflect his current achievements of mid table scramble.
He has the potential to do be one. But he is not there yet.
We should support him because he is our manager until we are told otherwise.
Utd Spurs Liverpool and Chelsea coming up. Earn the right to talk about guts please.
I actually don’t have a problem with missing a Champions League spot in order to concentrate on a long term plan – but no way was a 4th place ever out of reach if we went all out for it.
Last season too – the self inflicted (whoever was to blame) points we dropped in our charge down the table could have got us to 4th.
But maybe you were allowing for all that – both rebuilding and 4th place at the same time is much more impressive
Yes coach but not manager
Getting rid of the dross and bad attitudes has been excellent management
Reminds me of how everyone said Sterling had a bad attitude for six years until it was cool to do a little unconscious bias training and a deeper dive o fake news
Truly amazes me how much regular degular fans with an Athletic subscription think they know about granular things like attitude.
I think it’s fairly obvious that Ozil, Guendouzi and towards the end, Auba, did’t have the best attitude….
It was just so embarrassing to lose to Brighton while Guendo run around telling every one of their players within earshot that they dont make no money coz they are shit. Then do what he did at the end. In addition to everything else, that just put the writing on the wall. If you dont get it, you dont know what we consider Arsenal values and class.
Exactly. I wonder if Pepe’s new positive attitude has anything to do with Auba leaving…..
I wonder if Pepe’s ‘new positive attitude’ is actually down to Arteta actually playing him….?
Fan fiction really isn’t it. Stats kind of show when you play Pepe he contributes to a goal
It was only embarrassing because he couldn’t back up his shithousery with performances.
This statement is so egregious because the only thing you have actually seen with your eyes is him choking Neal Maupay.
You talk about values and class but the best Arsenal teams in living memory are known for sticking up for themselves.
We lost the game after Leno was put in hospital, the kind of thing you have only just started moaning to PGMOL about.
Basically, be fair.
Sounds revisionist to me
Yeah. Auba’s goal against Spurs this season.
Terrible attitude. 🙄
Leaders show up to work on time and set an example.
Leaders also put the ball in the back of the net.
Go figure.
Are you a spurs fan? Have to ask.
Are you a sad wind-up merchant?
Have to ask.
Have you read the rules of this site?
Clearly not.
Guendouzi is an idiot, I’ll give you that.
But I challenge you to take away Auba’s goals and Ozil’s assists and then see what a fucking shit state this club would have been in.
Could be wrong but I think UzesGooner was probably referring to on pitch attitude.
Completely take your point that supporters have little to no clue about players’ attitude as we dont know them personally but you don’t need a subscription to the Athletic to tell when a player rather not be out their playing for your side or that bragging about your pay packet to the very team that just beat you doesn’t exactly smack of professionalism.
So you are saying that if a player is arrogant or aggressive or even pure prick, cant be a top class player? Countless names can be listed also from successful Arsenal sides.
We didnt want him to drink tea with the queen. We wanted him to perform and I believe if we managed to guide his inner anger towards the correct channels he could be a top player.
Yeah I don’t really have a problem with Guendouzi’s comments in the heat of that moment. Or the neck grab. Will take it over Gallas crying.
Leno was in outstanding form, important to our chances – and had been kneed in the neck unceremoniously. Was one of many missed red cards against us.
With Auba. I totally think you need an Athletic subscription to feel in touch with his attitude but that’s just me.
Great to hear. Always a tough situation when the player isn’t playing. To know that Arteta handled it so well is encouraging. But it was also Mari’s professionalism that allowed the two to resolve things smoothly. It’s a two way street. Different situations but Guendouzi and Auba didn’t hold up their end of the bargain. Both had several disciplinary issues before leaving so it’s clear they were given multiple chances. They either took things personally or didn’t respond professionally. This shows how reasonable Arteta can be when the respect is there. The idea that he falls out with too many… Read more »
It was also Mari’s ‘professionalism’ that allowed Lukaku to do as he pleased at the Emirates recently….
Man, he just had a really poor game. It turns out he’s not as good as we need him to be. He’s gone.
Don’t think it’s anything to do with his professionalism.
I know the endless talk about the high level of the Premier League can seem incredibly annoying, but there really is something to it. Mari is simply not good enough for Arsenal, but he seems to be doing fine in Italy. Torreira is too–he’s a better player, but I’m not sure he ever would have succeeded in England. Guendouzi is impressive at a very big team in France, but I don’t think his success is explained entirely by a change of attitude. (I’ll leave aside Aubameyang at Barca.) Mavrapanos is doing very well in Germany, albeit at a poor team.… Read more »
I get what you’re saying Blogs, but surely a player’s professionalism covers his on-pitch ability as much as his on/off pitch conduct? Otherwise what the hell is he doing on the pitch? Especially when that player earns money for playing the game – in this case big money? Maybe I’m splitting hairs. I just find it difficult to stomach comments from posters who would heap praise on the likes of Mari for leaving amicably and badmouth Auba in the same breath – a guy who, whether any of us like it or not, clearly did more for this football club.… Read more »
Q I think it might be down to how you interpret the word professionalism. To me it means how one conducts themselves – how they respect for their teammates, their staff, people ‘above’ and ‘below’ their level (in term of pay, seniority, etc), the fans, the opposition teams. It also includes one’s attitude towards their craft and how seriously they take their job. This is quite separate from ability, form, and performance. A player can have impeccable professionalism and not be at the standard required for an Arsenal player, yet still command considerable respect from others (or should). Players may… Read more »
Reading through all the comments below, it continues to stupefy me that some ‘experts’ on here believe they have a better, more informed insight into Arteta’s abilities and behind the scenes strategic suss and man-management, than the many current and ex-players who consistently give him huge credit?
How myopically biased can one be! The people who work (ed) with him on a daily basis appear to uniformly respect and admire the bloke… but some nutters on here know better!
Very true. Saw an interview with Saka some time back and asked about Arteta, he said he is “a genius”, and “can outsmart any coach”. That stood out for me, and goes well with what Mari says here regarding preparation. Deffo more than just a good coach and getting better. I’d back him all the way.
TBF, the players who thought different have been let go.
How do you know that some of these said ‘nutters on here’ aren’t actually ex players, ex managers or even current professionals? In other words, more than qualified to pass judgment l?
We all want Arsenal to succeed, but, for goodness sake, take those Arteta tinted glasses of yours off for just one day and give us all a break.
Alright, I will admit it. It’s me, mate. Emmanuel Frimpong. And Arteta is DENCH!
A career and a buzz word that lasted all of a month.
Not yet, he isn’t.
Might be one day though.
Not saying I completely disagree with you but you’ve gotta admit Pablo Mari’s in a slightly better position than you to give an educated opinion on the matter.
As a supporter of this club for over fifty years (I made my ‘debut’ at Highbury in 1971) I am as entitled to my opinion as much as Pablo Mari. I’ve watched both good and bad managers at Arsenal before Mari was even born. (I played for Bishop’s Stortford under John Radford in the early 90’s and I’m telling you he was a better manager then than Arteta is at the moment.) I’m not saying Arteta hasn’t got the potential to become a top drawer manager, but “One of the best in the world” at this moment in time? Get… Read more »
Of course you are as entitled to your opinion as Pablo Mari. But we are equally entitled to give his opinion more weight than yours.
You seem very unhappy with Arteta. Maybe you should just take a break. All these years of experience you have and yet you still cant identify a positive trend in the team makes me wonder.
Mate. I’m well aware of the potential that this group of talented youngsters possess – everyone can see that; even the idiots at Sky and Talksport. What I refuse to do is get carried away. The cold light of day fact is that, at the time of writing, we haven’t secured that top four position. Given this team’s propensity to fold like a deck of cards (Forest in the cup, Brentford away, Man City away, Chelsea at home, Liverpool in the League Cup Semi) I think caution is still not unreasonable for us as a fanbase to exercise. For many,… Read more »
Never said you weren’t entitled to your opinion, just said that Mari’s been coached by Arteta so actually has something to base his opinion on.
So yeah, I’m gonna go with his.
Righto. 🙄
Having an opinion on the manager based on watching from the stands and hear’say reported in the press is like being a mum at the school gates judging the new headmaster. Yea you have a pretty good idea and you’ve seen other heads come and go. Your kids give you feedback at dinner time. But if all the teachers and students are saying how awesome the new head is, and exam results have improved, then I stop listening to the mum at the school gates who doesnt think the new head deserves praise until x, y or z in the… Read more »
Crumbs you are boringly negative!! Not being funny but I can’t recall a positive post from you!!
Let’s get top four and you can call me all the names under the sun.
Arteta is an excellent coach. The first thing he did was made us hard to beat, and instilled a new level of discipline and focus in the team. He’s made exceptional signings, won an FA Cup already and is ahead of schedule in the league. Anyone still hating on Arteta is just embarrassing themselves at this point.
Sorry mate, but ‘hard to beat’….?
Have a glance at the Premiership table and check out how many games we have lost.
Then have a glance at how many we lost last season.
Hard to beat…? Tell that to Nottingham Forest….
Would you prefer ‘harder to beat’?
The fact we’re bookies favourites for 4th with such a new, young team and manager (way exceeding expectations) suggests we are indeed hard to beat. Doesn’t mean we don’t have bad games.
Fuck the bookies.
Let’s actually secure 4th spot. Then the back slapping can commence.
Until then, we are as vulnerable to collapse as we were at the City Ground Nottingham only a matter of weeks ago.
This is all you do. All day long. Fair play. It gets tedious for me. Fuck knows what it’s like for you
All I’m proposing is a little reality in a cacophony of over the top nigh hysterical hero worship of a guy who has yet to deliver the goods
I’ll tell you what’s tedious.
Having to read that Arteta is a “one of the best coaches in the world” whilst we’re busy getting dumped out of the FA Cup in the third round by a Championship side, bottling a League Cup Semi Final second leg at home and still, as yet, to secure ECL football.
That’s tedious.
Maybe the site can run articles by you before they publish so you can screen them for quotes from players that make you sad.
There are Defenders who aren’t that quick but can be great in a system that doesn’t expose them 1v1 over and over again and I think they speed up mentally & physically with repeated games – they get into the rhythm of the game I think Mari (like Terry, Maguire) is one of those players. When he was playing week in week out for us he was actually very steady (he & Holding steadied the ship last season). What I don’t think he is suited to is dropping in and out of the side. So that was going to be… Read more »
Well said. Can’t help but admire Mari’s professionalism and complete lack of resentment. This interview reveals maybe that Arteta is a better man manager than we realized, he can come across as overly disciplinarian but I think he’s also protective of his players too.
Arteta, a graduate from Putin school of leadership, Mari trying to be become an oligarch. Me, trying hard to be funny.
I completely agree, I think he’s the type of player who can be very very reliable and quite classy if given a run in the team, but coming in for the odd game, he will not be up to speed. I think that happened in his last few appearances, after looking pretty good in longer periods. So likely he will have a great time at Udinese and come back with rave reviews. But for his sake, he needs to move on from Arsenal. Might at least get our money back on him and maybe a small profit.
Relying on centre halves like Terry, as good as he was (as a player, not as a human being where he was and remains despicable) means you cannot play a high line, you cannot play a possession game that occasionally–but inevitably–leads to a fast counter. You saw the constraints that a player like Terry imposed on a team’s style of playing more with England than with Chelsea (because Mourinho’s style was perfectly suited to Terry). It’s hard to see Mari (or Terry, for that matter) ever playing the role Puyol played for Barca–but Gabriel is a much better fit.
Interesting to see that, courtesy of his recent backing of Chelski’s owner, the whole world now thinks that John Terry is a cunt.
We hate to say “We told you so”, but…
Off topic, but I saw today that Abramovic bought Chelsea for 140M, then I added up their net transfer spend to last season and calculated he put about 850M in transfer spending. the Market value of Chelsea FC is 2.1B USD. Considering other costs and development of the ground and Abramovic will probably turn a profit. Something for KSE to consider when it comes to squad investment…
He’s writing off 1.5 billion in loans to the club & probably won’t get the price he’s asking as everyone & their dog knows he has to sell now. Could be wrong but I doubt he’s gonna come out of it with much of a profit.
Any profit is mind boggling when you’re writing off 1.5 billion and selling in the buyerest of buyers markets.
Investing heavily in putting Arsenal back into the top of world football does seem like it might return good value though.