Mikel Arteta was holding a press conference but it wasn’t going well, one of the club’s minions was faffing about in the background and although he offered the Arsenal boss two or three apologies, the mask the Spaniard presents on these occasions slipped to reveal surprising levels of irritation and anger.

The charismatic, unflappable and measured Arteta reverted to the kinds of emotions suffered by us mere mortals and from this moment, I knew there was more to the Spaniard than he normally allowed us to see. In fact, it’s now more clear than ever that there is another layer to Arteta that we may get to see when Amazon Prime’s ‘All or Nothing’ is released at the end of this campaign.

Arteta’s attitude to the media is tantamount to a chess game at times when quizzed about players or his position and he demonstrates a healthy contempt for repetitive themes or questions refurbished to sound like new ones. When Arteta first took the Arsenal job, we heard of his ‘ non-negotiables’, but to be honest, I thought it was just more of a catchphrase or a decent headline that set the tone for his era.

The Ozil saga and his much-publicised omission were initially thought to be a decision made at a non-football level, but it turns out that the player and his manager’s relationship deteriorated quickly due to a perceived lack of respect to both the club and Arteta himself.

On his arrival at Arsenal, Mikel Arteta was immediately in the eye of the storm with low morale and a divided dressing room, something which he had to address promptly. A source said the two (Arteta and Ozil) exchanged words on more than one occasion and that Arteta decided that the former World Cup winner should be moved on at the earliest opportunity.

Now, he has the Aubameyang situation to deal with, which many supporters feel will end in a similar fashion, but at least both parties have the luxury of the AFCON tournament to allow the pair to reflect. Having said that, if there is a rift on basic principles, Arteta won’t be changing his stance anytime soon and if the Gabonese striker’s attitude remains the same on his return, the Spaniard will take up any available offers to move him onwards.

Arteta’s position was reinforced recently when he made a further statement on his expectations of the players in his charge:

“I don’t establish my authority by being dictatorial or ruthless,” said Arteta. “I just ask for one thing: respect and commitment.

“At this level, if I don’t get that I pack my bags and go somewhere else because that is the minimum I can ask for. I am sorry but I am going to expect that from everybody who works for the club, first of all, myself. The day I don’t do that, I walk through that door and go and do something else. It is as clear as that.”

He went on:

“To be successful you have to be passionate about something and if you want to represent a club of this size, with its history, that is the minimum standard you have to bring.”

“I am not going to ask anybody to put the ball into the top corner every time they hit it, but I will ask them to do the right things every single day for this club. That is for sure.”

Read More:

• Does Arteta Needs to Rethink his Stance on Nketiah to Keep him at Arsenal?
• Tony Adams’ Honesty Stood in the Way of him Joining the Arsenal Coaching Staff
• Takehiro Tomiyasu Becoming an Indispensable Component for the Arsenal Backline

If anyone was in any doubt about the Spaniard’s stance or leadership including Aubameyang, this surely made things abundantly clear to everyone concerned. In January, we will see if the player and his manager were able to find any common ground or if the pair were destined to part company.

Either way, Mikel Arteta will continue to instil core beliefs into his players and dictate (for want of a better word) how they represent Arsenal football club on and off the field. Never interpret an act of kindness as a position of weakness.

Stay tuned for the Latest News on Arsenal.