The Arsenal boss thinks it a bit early to compare his and the Chelsea manager’s work to that of the Liverpool and Manchester City coaches
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has dismissed the notion he and Frank Lampard could be considered the next Pep Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp.
Arteta and Lampard go head to head at Wembley on Saturday in the FA Cup final, hoping to win the first trophies of their coaching careers.
Arsenal managed only to finish eighth in the Premier League this season but have won praise for positive signs of progress in their play, most notably in the FA Cup semi-final win over Manchester City.
Lampard, who took charge of Chelsea last year, steered the Blues to a top-four finish despite the restrictions of a one-window transfer ban and is now looking to lift a trophy he won four times for the London club in his playing days.
Arteta is full of admiration for Lampard but is not yet prepared to embrace the idea the pair are the natural successors to Klopp and Guardiola as the leading coaches in England.
“About Frank as a player, absolutely top,” Arteta said on Friday. “I think the consistency he was able to play for that many years in the position he plays at such a big club and doing what he did was incredible. Big credit to him on that.
“As a manager, he has shown since Derby the kind of ambition and person he has and the way he encourages his team to play. We are both young, both trying to learn our position so I wouldn’t like to compare to the two managers you mention.”
