Arteta has spoken to Mertesacker about what to expect from Ralf Rangnick
Mikel Arteta has sought advice from Per Mertesacker on what to expect from Ralf Rangnick ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Manchester United.
The Gunners boss wasn’t sure what level of influence the German coach has had on United’s training and team selection, ahead of Thursday night’s clash at Old Trafford, with Michael Carrick still in caretaker charge.
The Spaniard wanted to gain as much valuable information as possible on Rangnick and therefore spoke to his former teammate Mertesacker, manager of Arsenal’s Academy, to get an insight.
Mertesacker, a World Cup winner, played under Rangnick, whilst the 63-year-old was managing German side Hannover.
RONALDO NEEDS TO STOP WHINING.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of the game at the Theatre of Dreams, Arteta admitted that it had been “tricky” not knowing what level of control Rangnick was having on proceedings at Carrington.
Arteta said: “We try to gather information to understand more what to expect.
“We didn’t know if he was going to be sitting on the bench or if he was taking training sessions, so in terms of the preparations, it was a little bit trickier than usual because you don’t really know the influence that the new coach is going to have.”
Manchester United have confirmed that caretaker manager Michael Carrick will be in charge against the north London side, as work continues on resolving Rangnick’s visa.
Speaking on United’s appointment of Rangnick, Arteta labelled the man dubbed the ‘godfather’ of gegenpressing as a ‘top’ coach.
Arteta said: “He has been one of the top coaches in every involvement he has had in the game, not only in coaching.
“He’s made some radical changes in some areas and he’s a really interesting person in the footballing world, and a really interesting appointment for the club.”
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