Arteta reaches 250 matches in charge as Saka’s strike wins at Villa Park
Mikel Arteta became the second person to have both played (284) and managed (250) at least 250 Premier League games when Arsenal's 1-0 victory over Aston Villa at Villa Park on Monday marked his 250th top-flight match in charge of the Gunners.
Arteta is the 10th manager to oversee 250 Premier League matches with a single club, joining a group that includes Arsene Wenger, Sir Alex Ferguson and Pep Guardiola, whom the article singles out when considering the greatest managers of the Premier League era; among that cohort Arteta ranks fourth for win percentage, behind Guardiola, Ferguson and Jurgen Klopp.
Arsenal delivered a defensive performance that conceded no shots on target as Bukayo Saka's second-half goal secured the 1-0 win, and travelling supporters at full-time sang about winning the league again with Arteta in charge; the match was cited as his 250th top-flight game managing Arsenal.
The report notes Arsenal conceded the fewest goals in the league last season as they won the title for the first time in 22 years and that under Arteta's nearly seven-year tenure the club has become known for defensive solidity; in the opening two Premier League games this season they have faced only three shots on target, with Villa registering none.
During last season's title campaign Arsenal did not allow opponents a shot on target in six league matches, the joint-most in a single campaign on record since the 2003-04 season, while goalkeeper David Raya has won the Golden Glove award for the most clean sheets in each of the past three seasons and William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have been voted in the PFA team of the year for the past three seasons.
Since the start of March the Gunners have kept eight Premier League clean sheets — three more than any other side — and the only team in Europe's big-five leagues to have kept more is Juventus with nine; Thierry Henry told Sky Sports: "It's how they defend as a team and how they attack as a team," adding: "One thing is sure with Arsenal - everybody needs to run. You don't have any passengers in that team. This is how you win a title. You can see they are so good at it."
The article describes Arteta as the longest-serving current Premier League manager whose longevity has produced an Arsenal identity that new players note for its detail, and records that Arsenal have won their first two Premier League matches for the fifth consecutive season; it also details Manchester activity, saying the club spent £250m last summer on eight players and has already spent about £200m this year, making permanent Piero Hincapie (£34.5m) and signing Bruno Guimaraes (£75m), Christos Tzolis (£34m) and Ezri Konsa (£55m).
Arteta commented on squad depth to Sky Sports: "That is what we need," and said: "The players that come in make the difference. All of them contributed to create more dominance and more momentum. "The level of focus and the way they want to contribute to the team, that is going to be decisive in the season." He also confirmed Arsenal were still trying to improve the squad ahead of the transfer deadline: "We are trying to improve the squad and until tomorrow night we will try to do it," adding: "I have been disconnected from the world for the last 24 hours because my energy has to be on the match, but I will get back on it now." When asked about Julian Alvarez he said: "I don't know, that's for the people upstairs."
Arsenal's start — two wins from two in the Premier League for the fifth straight season — was described as providing a solid platform to build another title challenge, and the club indicated it may continue transfer activity until the deadline tomorrow night as Arteta seeks further reinforcement.
