Crystal Palace manager Roy Hodgson has expressed admiration for Mikel Arteta as his team prepares to face Arsenal in the upcoming Premier League fixture.
Palace has established a reputation for being a challenging opponent, particularly against top-tier teams. Their ability to consistently deliver strong performances against the league’s elite mirrors the characteristics of Arsenal, which is poised to be a formidable adversary.
Arsenal kicked off their season with a 2-1 victory against Nottingham Forest. However, they are well aware that the encounter with Crystal Palace will present a stiffer test, as the Eagles are expected to provide robust opposition and harbour aspirations of securing a positive result.
Arteta’s tenure at Arsenal has seen the club make notable strides, including a marked improvement in their league standing last season. The Gunners narrowly missed out on securing the league title, a noteworthy achievement given their six-year absence from the top four.
Hodgson, in recognising Arteta’s efforts, has lauded the Arsenal manager for successfully navigating a demanding role and producing commendable outcomes.
He said to Palace Media:
“We don’t know each other very well, of course. I have great admiration for the job he’s done at Arsenal. That’s a big club and he’s come in and done a really big job. I thought last season they were outstanding in every respect.
“I have a lot of sympathy, to get that close and do so well and be overtaken by the machine really that to some extent is Manchester City, who are also a wonderful football team. It must have been a gut-wrenching occasion, but they’ve come back strongly from that and started this season strongly.”
Just Arsenal Opinion
Arteta has been one of the best managers in Europe, which is remarkable considering he was a rookie when he joined us initially.
The ex-midfielder has shown a lot of talent and his reputation is growing with every passing week.
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