Pascal De Maesschalck says Mikel Arteta’s work on the training ground has surprised him since joining Arsenal, with one aspect of the manager’s coaching standing out in particular.
Arsenal academy director Pascal De Maesschalck says Mikel Arteta’s work on the training ground has left a considerable impression on him since his summer arrival.
De Maesschalck joined Arsenal from Strasbourg and, three months into the job, has already seen enough of Arteta’s sessions to describe them as unlike anything he has encountered elsewhere.
Speaking to Belgian publication Sporza, in comments reproduced by Arseblog News, he said: “His training sessions, I have never seen anything like that anywhere else.
“And I have seen a lot of training sessions from a lot of coaches.
“What he does at the level of the details is astounding. When you talk to him about football, it is about details, discipline, respect… He is an absolute winner, but also a very pleasant person.”
De Maesschalck succeeded Per Mertesacker as academy director and has been encouraged by Arteta’s willingness to work with him on the development of young players.
“Arteta wants to collaborate and also wants to give the young people a chance,” he said.
“He has very clearly expressed his support for this.
“Our ambition is to write the definitive training story of England.”
The job also gives De Maesschalck the chance to test his own methods at a different level after previous experience in Belgium and France.
“That is the challenge for me now,” he added. “Does my approach work at the very highest level?” he said.
It is still too early to measure De Maesschalck’s impact on Arsenal’s academy after only three months in the position, but his early impressions provide a clear indication of the standards he believes young players will have to meet.
They also throw a spotlight on the height of another of Arteta’s Arsenal ambitions – “to write the definitive training story of England.”
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