Before Everton's Premier League match away to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium, Everton manager David Moyes praised and defended Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta. Moyes signed Arteta for Everton in January 2005, and Arteta spent six-and-a-half years at Everton before moving to North London.
Moyes on his influence
Moyes said he hoped Arteta had taken some things from him, including having a winning culture and a winning team, dealing with players, demands and standards.
Moyes said: "I always look and I think: ‘Mikel has had Pep, what would he take from me?’ I don’t really know."
Moyes said: "I know how Pep works, how good his teams are and what he’s seen... But there’s a lot of other stuff like having a winning culture and a winning team."
Moyes said: "How you’re dealing with the players, what you’re demanding of them, the standards you set. I hope that in some way he might have taken bits of that."
His defence of Arteta
Moyes dismissed past criticism of Arteta and said Arteta had won the FA Cup at the end of his first year. GOAL said Arteta won the FA Cup in 2020.
Moyes said: "I remember listening and hearing people talk about what he hadn’t done. I’m saying: ‘what a load of rubbish,’"
Moyes said: "He won the FA Cup at the end of the first year and folks were saying: ‘he’s not won anything.’ He’s now right up there, winning the Premier League."
Moyes said: "He’s right up there with the best managers in the world at the moment."
Basque managers in England
Moyes also mentioned Unai Emery, Andoni Iraola and Xabi Alonso when talking about Basque managers in England.
Arsenal's level of competition
GOAL said Arsenal continue to compete at the highest level in domestic and European competitions.
Moyes said: "He’s playing against the best teams in the Champions League."