It’s been nearly three months since Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta’s eagerly anticipated return to face mentor Pep Guardiola was delayed indefinitely.
The original fixture had to be pushed back thanks to City’s participation in the League Cup final.
Fast forward to now, and the same fixture headlines the restart of the Premier League and a return to normalcy.
Arteta was given the head-coaching role just before the frantic Christmas period and with games coming thick and fast, he had hardly any time to get to know the players personally.
The three-month hiatus thanks to the pandemic has given the boss a chance to interact with the players on an individual basis as well as his backroom staff, who are working together for the first time.
All the work behind the scenes appears to be bearing fruit on the training ground after a video dropped online showcasing quick, accurate interplay between the likes of Reiss Nelson, Joe Willock, Alexandre Lacazette before teen sensation Gabriel Martinelli tucking the ball into the net.
With just a week to go for the fixture against defending champions Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium, the Gunners are looking sharp in the training videos released by the club and will need to be at their very best if the mentee wants to get one over his mentor.
