Arteta to face Alonso in the Premier League for the first time
In England, Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta is preparing to face his longtime friend Xabi Alonso, who manages Chelsea, in the Premier League for the first time. The reigning champions will host Chelsea after both teams collected six points from their opening two matches of the season.
Friends will become rivals
Arteta and Alonso, both 44, grew up in Spain’s Basque Country and maintained a close relationship during their playing and coaching careers. They previously met as coaches in a 2024 friendly, when Alonso was working with Bayer Leverkusen.
Arteta said he is pleased with his friend’s success and considers it a special experience to face each other at such a level while leading two of the country’s top clubs. According to TimesLIVE, the Arsenal coach also noted that Alonso’s team is capable of playing in different ways.
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Transfer window and Arsenal’s attack
Arteta drew attention to Chelsea’s productive start to the season: Morgan Rogers, João Pedro and Cole Palmer are showing good form in attack. In his view, controlling the course of the game will be an important factor in the match, particularly because Chelsea scored early in their first two games.
During the transfer window, Arsenal were linked with Rogers, Julián Álvarez and Vinícius Júnior. At the same time, the club’s only attacking reinforcement was Greek winger Christos Tzolis from Club Brugge. Arteta rejected assessments that the London side had performed poorly in the transfer market, stressing the quality of the current squad. He also disagreed that the team’s attack had become weaker following the departures of Leandro Trossard, Gabriel Jesus and Gabriel Martinelli.
