Former Super Eagles coach Sunday Oliseh has hailed Mikel Arteta after the Arsenal manager guided the club to their first Premier League title in more than two decades, describing the Spaniard as a coach who combines tactical intelligence with the mentality of a fighter, The PUNCH reports.
Arsenal secured the league crown after Manchester City were held to a 1-1 draw by AFC Bournemouth at the Vitality Stadium on Tuesday evening, sealing a historic triumph for the North London club and handing Arteta his first major trophy in five years.
Speaking on his Global Football Insights podcast, the former Nigeria captain praised Arteta’s evolution as a coach and credited him for transforming Arsenal into champions through discipline, tactical flexibility and cultural restructuring.
Oliseh said Arteta had inherited important qualities from his former mentor, Pep Guardiola, while also possessing the mentality needed to survive the pressure of elite football management.
“Mikel Arteta is the sovereign of the new era. He is the bridge. He has some of the brains of Pep and the street fighter heart of a captain,” Oliseh said.
The former Borussia Dortmund midfielder also reflected on Arteta’s controversial early decisions at Arsenal, particularly the departure of former playmaker Mesut Özil, which he described as part of a wider effort to reshape the club’s culture.
According to Oliseh, Arteta followed a similar approach to Guardiola by prioritising discipline and collective identity over individual brilliance.
“Like Pep, Arteta began with a cultural cleaning. He removed Mesut Ozil, the club’s most talented creator at that time. Although the contract situation advancing age and injury concern also factored in that decision,” he added.
Oliseh further credited Arsenal’s resurgence to Arteta’s demand for tactical discipline, pressing intensity and positional versatility across the squad.
He pointed to the development of players such as Declan Rice and Kai Havertz as examples of Arteta’s preference for adaptable footballers capable of contributing in multiple phases of play.
“Arteta’s emphasis on collective pressing and discipline proved pivotal in reshaping the club culture,” Oliseh stated.
“A look at the number hybrid will explain this better. Look at Declan Rice and Kai Havertz, Arteta doesn’t want specialists, he wants heat maps and racers.
“Players who can win a header in their own box and score a tap-in at the other end within ten seconds. He introduced the set-pieces revolution.”
The 50-year-old also praised Arsenal’s improvement from dead-ball situations, revealing that Arteta invested heavily in specialist coaching to maximise the team’s efficiency from corners and free kicks.
“Arteta hired specialist coaches to turn corner kicks and free kicks into mathematical certainties. He treats every dead ball situation like a scripted play in American football.”
Despite Arsenal’s eventual success, Oliseh admitted that Arteta’s intense methods had previously contributed to the club’s collapse during the 2023 title race, when the Gunners surrendered top spot late in the campaign.
He explained that the manager’s relentless coaching style initially placed excessive pressure on the players before Arteta eventually found a more balanced tactical approach.
“During the 2023 run, his 24/7 coaching caused the team to red line. He was so intense that the players started to play with fear instead of flow, and that’s one of the reasons they lost the title.”
Oliseh believes Arteta’s tactical refinement during the 2024/2025 campaign ultimately made Arsenal more complete and capable of handling the demands of a title-winning season.
According to the former Super Eagles coach, the Spaniard successfully blended aggressive pressing with greater defensive control to neutralise elite opponents.
“But looking at the title contender revolution of 2024/2025, Arteta refined his high-pressing 4-3-3 into a more balanced system that neutralized elite counter attacks,” he said.
“Blending Guardiola’s operational position with his street fighter’s intensity to finally challenge for major silverware and prove the disciple has forged his major blueprint.”
Arsenal currently sit top of the Premier League table with 82 points, four ahead of defending champions Manchester City, as supporters celebrate the club’s first league triumph in more than 20 years under Arteta.
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