Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta has had his say on Jürgen Klopp’s looming departure from Liverpool and the English Premier League.
The Liverpool boss announced his decision to leave the club at the end of the season on Friday.
Asked about Klopp’s legacy ahead of the Gunners’ match against Nottingham Forest on Tuesday night, Arteta said on the club’s website: “I think he’s made this league much better.”
“First of all, the person, the character, the charisma, and the way of transmitting his ideas and passion for the game are something special.
“He’s had a big contribution to the growth of this league, and I love the way he did it. The emotion that he put in. And when you see the human side explaining the reasons behind it, the challenges, and everything that is related to our job, I think it was spot-on.
“When someone has done what he’s done for that football club in the league, you have to respect that and basically say thank you, because I think he made the league better, every manager better, and this league much more beautiful and intense.”
Asked if it is harder to be successful as a Premier League manager than it was in previous years, when Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson had long-term positions, for example, Arteta said: “Arsene took his job like we all do.
Coaching in the Premier League
“We put so many hours and our lives into it, and sometimes you feel that you don’t have it anymore.
“It can happen when you’re a player, when you do any job, and as a manager, you have to be cautious about managing that energy, your time, and how much you invest in that because it is extremely demanding.
“I love it; I’m young and I have a lot of energy, but I understand that after so many years, I think with Jürgen it was 24 years doing different jobs in different countries; it’s something that naturally happens.”
Tonight’s encounter against Forest kicks off at the City Ground at 9.30pm.
Speaking about injuries ahead of the match, he said: “We’ve got some late decisions to make. Thomas Partey won’t be one of them, but we have a few that had some issues at the end of the last game, and we’re still uncertain with a few players.
“Thomas is not in the squad. It’s what it is. You want everybody available, and he’s a top player for us, a really important player for us, but at the moment he’s not fit yet.” – www.arsenal.com.
