Mikel Arteta names fictional character Ted Lasso as bizarre source of inspiration
By Max Cooper
Arsenal's season has almost played out like a comedy TV show at times, and that could be because manager Mikel Arteta has confessed to drawing inspiration from Apple TV sensation Ted Lasso.
Arteta is extremely unpopular among certain sections of the Arsenal fanbase, having overseen a horrendous start to the new Premier League season, which left the Gunners bottom of the table after three games.
But Arteta has lived to fight another day as Arsenal manager, and he puts his stubborn resolve down to hours of binge-watching Ted Lasso, a comedy series about an inexperienced American's desperate attempts to survive in the Premier League with zero knowledge of either the culture or the sport.
Honestly, you couldn't make this up.
"The last one (series) I watched, and I'm now watching the new episodes, is Ted Lasso," Arteta said (via the Daily Mail). "It's been great.
"It's been great in tough, difficult moments. He's always smiling and always believing and it gives you a different perspective that there is not one way of looking at things.
"There are positives and negatives and there are people that manage in a really successful way to do it differently. Thanks Ted, you've been brilliant.'"
Jason Sudeikis is the main actor of the series, playing the role of English football club AFC Richmond manager Ted Lasso. Arriving from the United States, Lasso is widely mocked and ridiculed for his lack of tactical knowledge, but he eventually wins over his players.
Arteta is suffering the worst period of his time in management, having initially won supporters' trust by lifting the FA Cup and Community Shield. However, Arsenal finished outside of the European qualification positions last season, and their start to the new campaign suggests they will not be cracking the top six any time soon.
The Spanish coach will take plenty of inspiration from Lasso's tenacity though, and hope that he can win over his own fanbase in similar fashion.