OLISEH HAILS ARTETA AFTER ARSENAL’S HISTORIC PREMIER LEAGUE TITLE WIN
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Former Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh has praised Mikel Arteta following Arsenal’s Premier League title triumph, describing the Spaniard as a coach who combines tactical brilliance with the mentality of a fighter.
Arsenal clinched their first Premier League title in more than two decades after defending champions Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday night.
The result confirmed a historic league triumph for Arsenal F.C. and handed Arteta his first major trophy in five years as manager of the North London side.
Speaking on his Global Football Insights podcast, Oliseh commended Arteta’s transformation of Arsenal into champions, crediting the manager’s tactical discipline, pressing system and cultural restructuring within the squad.
“Mikel Arteta is the sovereign of the new era. He is the bridge. He has some of the brains of Pep and the street fighter heart of a captain,” Oliseh said.
The former Nigerian international noted that Arteta inherited several coaching qualities from his former mentor, Pep Guardiola, while also developing the resilience needed to thrive at the highest level of football management.
Oliseh also reflected on Arteta’s controversial decision to phase out former Arsenal playmaker Mesut Özil, describing it as part of a broader effort to rebuild the club’s culture around discipline and collective identity.
“Like Pep, Arteta began with a cultural cleaning. He removed Mesut Ozil, the club’s most talented creator at that time,” Oliseh stated, adding that age, injuries and contractual issues also influenced the decision.
The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder further praised Arteta’s emphasis on tactical flexibility and positional versatility, citing players such as Declan Rice and Kai Havertz as examples of the manager’s evolving football philosophy.
“Arteta’s emphasis on collective pressing and discipline proved pivotal in reshaping the club culture,” he said.
“Arteta doesn’t want specialists, he wants heat maps and racers. Players who can win a header in their own box and score a tap-in at the other end within ten seconds.”
Oliseh also applauded Arsenal’s improvement from set-pieces, revealing that Arteta employed specialist coaches to maximise the team’s effectiveness from corners and free kicks.
“He treats every dead ball situation like a scripted play in American football,” Oliseh added.
Despite Arsenal’s eventual success, the former Super Eagles captain admitted that Arteta’s intense coaching methods contributed to the club’s collapse during the 2023 title race, when the Gunners surrendered top spot late in the season.
According to him, Arteta later refined his tactical approach during the 2024/2025 campaign by balancing aggressive pressing with stronger defensive organisation.
“Arteta refined his high-pressing 4-3-3 into a more balanced system that neutralized elite counter attacks,” Oliseh said.
Arsenal currently sit top of the Premier League table with 82 points, four ahead of Manchester City, as fans celebrate the club’s first league title in over 20 years under Arteta.
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