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Mikel Arteta interview: Forget Kenny... Moyes is the real Merseyside hero!
Published 23:00 14/01/11 By Martin Lipton
Mikel Arteta accepts that Kenny Dalglish will take all the pre-match *attention at Anfield tomorrow.
But as far as the Everton midfielder is concerned, the new Liverpool boss is not the only former Celtic star turned Merseyside manager who deserves mythic status.
For Arteta, David Moyes is as deserving of the bouquets as Dalglish. Indeed, more so.
And while the Spaniard dreams of scoring another derby clincher to complete Everton's first home and away double since 1985 and silence Anfield, he wants his manager to start getting the plaudits.
"David Moyes is already a legend in the city," said Arteta. "If you compare where the club was when he took over and where it is now, it's like comparing night and day.
"He's not been able to spend the money that any other manager has had.
"He's had to try to find other ways to take the club into a better position and find players and get players who can respond to him.
"For everyone at the club, for everything he has done, he is a legend."
Arteta, part of the PUMA stable of stars, added: "He doesn't get the credit he deserves for what he has done. Maybe some people don't realise the *achievement he has made.
"He tries to put everything right when it's not going well. He will do anything he can to do that. If he needs to speak to the players to help them or change the way we train he will do anything, he will work 24/7 to do that.
"The players he's got behind him will do the same thing. I think both he and us are lucky to have that type of professionalism, from both sides."
After six years in his adopted city, Arteta knows what tomorrow's match means in normal circumstances, let alone set against the background of Dalglish's return.
"It will be an even harder game after what has happened," said the midfielder, who conceded that for some of the foreign players, on both sides, the aura about Dalglish may not be so easily understood.
"We know the emotion we will come up against because they will try everything they can to beat us.
"I probably don't understand the mystique of Kenny Dalglish as much as he deserves but everybody says amazing things about him and what he did for the club. Around the city, and *especially for the Liverpool fans, it's been a lift having him back as manager again.
"It means a lot for them and I'm expecting the crowd to get behind them right from the start.
"The likes of Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina will understand why the emotion will be what it is, because they've been at the club for a while now and realise that he is a Liverpool hero.
"He is a character as well and it won't take him very long to explain to his players what it means to play for that club and what he is expecting from them."
Mentioning Torres, *inevitably, brings questions about the form of his fellow Spaniard, friend, and next-door neighbour.
Arteta said: "For a player of his quality the *expectation levels are really high every week. When the team is not doing well, then he's one of the players people are going to point at.
"People are used to seeing him scoring goals, banging them in every week, and when that doesn't happen he will get the blame and it's been emotional for him and hard to deal with.
"But Fernando has always dealt with the pressure and he's done great things to create those expectations. He's the type of player who wants to play in the big games. He is a very strong character, who has a great mentality and I'm sure he will get back to his best.
"I can't keep my distance this week – because we live next door to each other.
"We've spoken, of course, when we've bumped into each other. But we both know what this one means.
"Once we get on the pitch on Sunday there can be no friendship. There is nothing from kick-off."
Arteta admitted that his decisive second goal at Goodison in October, a win that helped put the skids under Roy Hodgson, *represents the highlight of his season so far, increasing his desire for a repeat.
"I'm the first to criticise myself when I'm not there," he added. "People expect a lot from me and I want to contribute to the team the best way I can. So when this doesn't happen and the team isn't winning games it is difficult.
"Every player in the club is desperate to score against Liverpool. Every player knows what it means for the fans and it's a big memory for me. We've not beaten Liverpool that many times so for me to get the chance and be the man to score it made it a really nice day.
"Let's hope I can *experience that again on Sunday."
Published 23:00 14/01/11 By Martin Lipton
Mikel Arteta accepts that Kenny Dalglish will take all the pre-match *attention at Anfield tomorrow.
But as far as the Everton midfielder is concerned, the new Liverpool boss is not the only former Celtic star turned Merseyside manager who deserves mythic status.
For Arteta, David Moyes is as deserving of the bouquets as Dalglish. Indeed, more so.
And while the Spaniard dreams of scoring another derby clincher to complete Everton's first home and away double since 1985 and silence Anfield, he wants his manager to start getting the plaudits.
"David Moyes is already a legend in the city," said Arteta. "If you compare where the club was when he took over and where it is now, it's like comparing night and day.
"He's not been able to spend the money that any other manager has had.
"He's had to try to find other ways to take the club into a better position and find players and get players who can respond to him.
"For everyone at the club, for everything he has done, he is a legend."
Arteta, part of the PUMA stable of stars, added: "He doesn't get the credit he deserves for what he has done. Maybe some people don't realise the *achievement he has made.
"He tries to put everything right when it's not going well. He will do anything he can to do that. If he needs to speak to the players to help them or change the way we train he will do anything, he will work 24/7 to do that.
"The players he's got behind him will do the same thing. I think both he and us are lucky to have that type of professionalism, from both sides."
After six years in his adopted city, Arteta knows what tomorrow's match means in normal circumstances, let alone set against the background of Dalglish's return.
"It will be an even harder game after what has happened," said the midfielder, who conceded that for some of the foreign players, on both sides, the aura about Dalglish may not be so easily understood.
"We know the emotion we will come up against because they will try everything they can to beat us.
"I probably don't understand the mystique of Kenny Dalglish as much as he deserves but everybody says amazing things about him and what he did for the club. Around the city, and *especially for the Liverpool fans, it's been a lift having him back as manager again.
"It means a lot for them and I'm expecting the crowd to get behind them right from the start.
"The likes of Fernando Torres and Pepe Reina will understand why the emotion will be what it is, because they've been at the club for a while now and realise that he is a Liverpool hero.
"He is a character as well and it won't take him very long to explain to his players what it means to play for that club and what he is expecting from them."
Mentioning Torres, *inevitably, brings questions about the form of his fellow Spaniard, friend, and next-door neighbour.
Arteta said: "For a player of his quality the *expectation levels are really high every week. When the team is not doing well, then he's one of the players people are going to point at.
"People are used to seeing him scoring goals, banging them in every week, and when that doesn't happen he will get the blame and it's been emotional for him and hard to deal with.
"But Fernando has always dealt with the pressure and he's done great things to create those expectations. He's the type of player who wants to play in the big games. He is a very strong character, who has a great mentality and I'm sure he will get back to his best.
"I can't keep my distance this week – because we live next door to each other.
"We've spoken, of course, when we've bumped into each other. But we both know what this one means.
"Once we get on the pitch on Sunday there can be no friendship. There is nothing from kick-off."
Arteta admitted that his decisive second goal at Goodison in October, a win that helped put the skids under Roy Hodgson, *represents the highlight of his season so far, increasing his desire for a repeat.
"I'm the first to criticise myself when I'm not there," he added. "People expect a lot from me and I want to contribute to the team the best way I can. So when this doesn't happen and the team isn't winning games it is difficult.
"Every player in the club is desperate to score against Liverpool. Every player knows what it means for the fans and it's a big memory for me. We've not beaten Liverpool that many times so for me to get the chance and be the man to score it made it a really nice day.
"Let's hope I can *experience that again on Sunday."
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