Mikel Arteta hailed as 'one of the best coaches in the world' by Athletic Club boss Ernesto Valverde ahead of Champions League tie

Ahead of Arsenal's Champions League trip to Athletic Club on Tuesday, the Spanish outfit's manager, Valverde, has extolled the quality of Arteta as a coach. He got to see what they can do firsthand in Arsenal's 3-0 win over his La Liga team in pre-season, and now he believes they are one of the favourites to win this elite European tournament as well.

When asked how highly he rates Arteta, Valverde said: "As one of the best coaches in the world, surely. What he is doing in Arsenal proves it. I do not say it just because Arsenal has great players, but because of what they do, how they play, their spirit, how they press you, how they do not let you play, how insistent they are in each duel. And then, at the time of the game, with the quality of technique they have, it is difficult to press them very high because they have resources to go out and play in the space. It is clear that when you are playing with one of the favourite teams to win the competition, it can be Arsenal, or one of the favourites to win the Premier League, it is clear that you have to tune very fine and take advantage of the opportunities that you can have and not concede too many. We have to admit that and we have to know what we have in front of us."

Arsenal have their strongest squad in years and will believe they can end their 21-year wait to win the Premier League. They have never won the Champions League, and Arteta hasn't won a trophy for the Gunners since 2020. If Arteta wants to keep his job, he may have to deliver some silverware this season, and the Champions League would be the jewel in the crown.

Valverde added that preparing for this Arsenal clash is akin to getting ready to face Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona.

He said, "It is like when Real Madrid and Barcelona come to play at that level. You have to make a perfect game to show your virtues and try to minimise what they can do to you, which can be a lot. We just played with them recently in the pre-season, and we know more or less how they play and the level they have."