Tottenham manager Ange Postecoglou is full of praise for Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, but admits they are very different in many ways.
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It has been a very encouraging start to life in north London for the Australian, with Spurs sitting second in the Premier League after five games.
Postecoglou gets his first taste of a north London derby on Sunday at Emirates Stadium and he has been considering his opposite number ahead of it.
The former Celtic boss is impressed with not only Arteta, but Arsenal as a club for sticking with him and believing in a rookie manager after a difficult start, which is now long forgotten.
‘I think Mikel has been outstanding, really strong right from the start by having a real vision for the football club and the club’s backed him, but I don’t think that’s unique,’ said Postecoglou.
‘I think Liverpool did the same with Jurgen (Klopp). Most clubs that end up having a successful period do it on the back of having a really clear idea of what they’re trying to create.
‘The only problem is that a lot of clubs jump at shadows at the first sign of things not progressing at the rate they were hoping to. Credit to Arsenal and credit to Mikel that they backed each other and they’re reaping the rewards of it but that’s not a blueprint for us to follow.
‘We’ve got our own blueprint. You don’t have to follow anyone else’s timescale, you don’t have to follow anyone else’s processes. What you’ve got to do is have a clear idea about what you want and provided along the way you see progress, stick to it.’
Postecoglou then weight up how he compares and contrasts to his rival across north London, believing to be quite different from the Spaniard.
‘In terms of similarities, I’m 58, he’s whatever (41). I’ve had 26 years, he’s five years into it. He’s managed in one country, I’ve managed in a few. I’m not sure how he’s got a great head of hair!’ Postecoglou said.
‘He’s a lot fitter than I am. I don’t know, there’s not a lot of threads I can sort of join between us. I wouldn’t say we’re opposites.
‘We’re different. Even in the way his team plays. Yes he does have a very attacking philosophy but it’s different from mine and that’s the beauty of the game. That’s what you love about it.
‘It’s why you can’t copy. If you’re an artist and you see a Picasso, yeah you can copy it, but it’s not going to be a Picasso is it? It’s the same with football.
‘You can see that somebody does something really well, but don’t bring your own personality into it. I have great admiration for the way he’s gone about things and how he’s stuck to his beliefs. It’s a credit to him.’
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