Mikel Arteta in awe of ‘incredible’ David Moyes days before West Ham United-Arsenal tie
Mikel Arteta and David Moyes will face off in the dugout on Boxing Day when West Ham United take on Arsenal at The Emirates Stadium.
The two know each other well as the Spaniard was Moyes’ club captain for a number of years at Everton when he was still playing before signing for Arsenal as a player.
With acquaintances being reformed in a festive spirit on Boxing Day, the Gunners boss was asked about the impact Moyes had on his career both as a player and manager and he was highly complimentary of him.
“Huge impact. I’m so grateful first off for the trust he always showed in me, for how much I learned off him on the field, off the field, about building a team, and about getting the right characters in the team to build what you want,” Arteta said.
“He was extremely supportive all the time and everything we did together, and I have incredible memories with him because we had a very successful time together.”
Inside scoop
Having managed Arteta for many years, you would hope Moyes knows a thing or two about what he might do as a manager and he can come up with plans to counter-act them all.
No team has really been able to stop Arsenal this season but they are going to have to cope without Gabriel Jesus for a while which could easily throw everything into disrepute at The Emirates.
The momentum from before the World Cup has now evaporated and this might be the best time to play the Gunners who have to start again despite being five points clear at the top of the league.
West Ham had no momentum to use anyway so the break could have done them the world of good as the majority of their players remained at Rush Green during the Qatar tournament.
This could be a stroke of luck for the Irons but they need Moyes on his A-game to guide them to a famous win.