Matt Spiro
Image source, Getty ImagesAfter three consecutive Premier League runners-up finishes, Mikel Arteta was left searching for answers.
What would it take to turn his Arsenal team into champions? The squad needed more depth. The mentality had to be tougher.
The club responded by signing eight new players. Yet the most important summer arrival may well have been the least conspicuous. Arteta turned to one of his oldest and most trusted allies: former Argentina, Paris St-Germain, Real Madrid and Manchester United defender Gabriel Heinze, who replaced outgoing assistant Carlos Cuesta.
Arteta and Heinze first met at PSG in 2001 under the management of Luis Fernandez.
“They were great boys,” says Fernandez, who signed Arteta from Barcelona in January 2001 and Heinze from Real Valladolid six months later.
“It was a pleasure to manage them. What’s great is they haven’t changed. They’re exactly the same today; loyal, hard-working people. When I see what they’re doing at Arsenal, I’m very proud.”
It feels highly significant that at this key moment in Arteta’s managerial career, he turned to a figure who had performed the role of a big brother to him at PSG.
That PSG team was packed with star names and strong personalities. As well as Heinze, Arteta shared a dressing room with Ronaldinho, Mauricio Pochettino, Jay-Jay Okocha and Nicolas Anelka.
The first months were difficult for the shy, introverted Spaniard, despite the presence and support of his parents.
“It was very tough,” remembers Yves Ribardiere, PSG’s player liaison officer back then. “Mikel was living in a hotel that was quite basic. It was winter, the weather was cold and grey. He was in this small room and had a lot of time to kill. I used to stay with him to make sure he didn’t get too down.”
Heinze is four years older than Arteta, but there was an immediate chemistry between the two. “They were together at training, and also spent time together away from the pitch with their families,” recalls Fernandez.
Heinze took his notoriously feisty nature into management. Spells as head coach in his homeland with Godoy Cruz, Argentinos Juniors, Velez Sarsfield and Newell’s Old Boys – and at Atlanta United in the MLS – proved tumultuous and short-lived.
In north London, Arteta is channelling Heinze’s enthusiasm – and the Gunners are flying. “They’re like two volcanoes,” Cisse says. “One that erupts occasionally (Arteta) and one that erupts all the time (Heinze). With everything he has to manage, Mikel can’t be shouting at his players constantly. You need help. Gabi will be doing that every day in training.
“It’s a superb combination,” Cisse insists. “Mikel has done a fantastic job, but he needs help to get his team over the line. Gabi, through his obsession with winning, can do that.”
As Arsenal’s season moves towards a thrilling climax, that trust off the pitch may prove as valuable as any signing on it.
