Mikel Arteta responds to Dimitar Berbatov’s Arsenal to Stoke comparison
Mikel Arteta responds to Dimitar Berbatov’s Arsenal to Stoke comparison. Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has insisted that it is a “compliment” to see his side been compared to an old-school Stoke City team.
The Gunners’ penchant for scoring from corners was on full display as they headed home twice to beat Manchester United 2-0 in midweek, extending their incredible tally of goals from set pieces in the past two seasons up to 22.
Former United striker Dimitar Berbatov publicly compared the team to 2010s Stoke, a side famed for hulking centre-backs, long throws and mastering the ugly side of the game, but while his comments were made to criticise Arsenal, Arteta has actually taken them positively.
“I understood very well what [Dimitar] Berbatov said,” he said.
“It was said in the best possible way. We take it as a big compliment. I think [Stoke were so good], yeah.”
Quizzed on his side’s “Corner Kings” nickname, Arteta continued:
“We want to be the kings of everything. Set pieces, the best in the world. High press, the best in the world. In open spaces, the best in the world. The best atmosphere in the stadium and the best at everything.
“Before it was we didn’t score enough, we were soft at defending, we didn’t have mentality, we were not physical enough, we didn’t beat big teams away from home for 17 years, 20 years, 22 years. We want to be the best at everything. We want to have the best academy, be the best at player development, recruit the best players, best coaches. That’s the aim.”
Berbatov is by no means the only person to take issue with Arsenal’s tactics. Man Utd head coach Ruben Amorim accused wingers Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka of playing for corners, but Arteta insisted they were simply “exploiting weaknesses”.
