Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola will face each other from opposing dugouts this week, with Liverpool meeting Chelsea in the Carabao Cup before Arsenal take on the Reds in the Premier League on Sunday. The three managers share more than their Spanish roots, having grown up together as team-mates at Basque youth club Antiguoko.
During the early-to-mid 90s, all three were regarded as promising young talents. But according to Roberto Montiel, who coached them at Antiguoko, one youngster already seemed destined for a future in management: Arteta.
Arteta's early coaching instincts
Montiel, now vice president of the club, recalled how the Arsenal manager showed "a lot of maturity" from a young age, regularly watching training sessions and offering suggestions on how to improve the team. Arteta would even point out where Montiel's approach fell short.
"Mikel always played ahead of his age group and showed a lot of maturity despite being a little boy," Montiel told The Sun. "Right away, we knew he could make it at a professional level. He's the best player I have ever seen at Antiguoko, better even than Alonso, and I think he had the idea of being a coach a long time before he hung up his boots."
Montiel added: "Arteta would watch me coach some of the teams and afterwards bombard me with ideas and suggestions of how to change things around. He was still only young, but I could see he was engineering the idea of coaching. I would laugh because he'd tell me where my team was failing and where I had to use the scalpel to make changes!"
Alonso's commanding presence and Iraola's shy talent
Alonso, who enjoyed the most decorated playing career of the three, was more "introverted" but displayed "a commanding presence" on the pitch. Montiel explained: "Xabi was a small lad, who didn't bulk up until the Under-17s. But he organised play very well and was a commanding presence without being very bossy. He was a bit introverted but transformed when on the pitch. He was never someone who needed to shout a lot - a few words was all it took. But he was always highly respected and when Xabi said something, everyone respected it."
Iraola, by contrast, was the most reserved of the three. Despite being a talented footballer and an outstanding pupil, Montiel did not spot his managerial potential until he returned to Antiguoko after retiring from playing. "Andoni was a very shy boy and a very good student, and he had spectacular talent," Montiel told the Liverpool Echo. "As a child, being very shy, when we had the game under control he would do things with the ball that very few players could do. We had a great team and I consider myself very, very competitive, and I instil that in all my teams."
Montiel was instrumental in starting Iraola's coaching journey, though he admitted uncertainty about whether his former protege would enter management. "The truth is that when he quit football, I thought he was going to retire, but when he called me and told me that he wanted to start coaching and asked if I could give him a team in Antiguoko, I saw that he might have the makings of a coach. He went to Madrid to get his coaching licence and there I saw that he might have a future, since he was the best in his class during the course."
Paths to the Premier League
Iraola's first senior management role was with Cypriot club AEK Larnaca, where he stayed for one season before returning to Spain in 2019 to lead newly promoted Segunda Division side Mirandes. He moved to Rayo Vallecano 12 months later. Bournemouth brought in Iraola in 2023, and he quickly became one of the Premier League's most promising coaches, guiding the club to unprecedented heights, including Europa League qualification. Liverpool appointed him in June.
Arteta's path from player to manager was more direct. After retiring in 2016, he had three options: Arsene Wenger offered him the chance to oversee Arsenal's youth setup; he could join Mauricio Pochettino's coaching team at Tottenham, having been team-mates with the Argentine at Paris Saint-Germain; or he could work under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City. Arteta chose the latter, and when Wenger left Arsenal in 2018, Arteta was heavily tipped for the role, but the club selected Unai Emery instead. Arteta returned 18 months later following Emery's sacking and has since led Arsenal to Premier League titles.
Alonso was the only one of the three to return to the Basque Country immediately after retiring. He took charge of Real Sociedad B in 2019 before moving to Bayer Leverkusen in 2022, where he delivered one of the most remarkable managerial achievements in German football. Leverkusen won their first Bundesliga title in 2023/24 and finished the domestic season unbeaten. Liverpool were reportedly interested in their former midfielder after Jurgen Klopp's 2024 exit, but Alonso stayed in Germany, and the Reds appointed Arne Slot instead. He moved to Real Madrid 12 months later, though his tenure ended before a full season. Chelsea hired Alonso in July, setting up a reunion with Iraola and Arteta in the Premier League.
On Wednesday, Alonso returns to Anfield as the opposing manager. He received a warm welcome when his Leverkusen side faced Liverpool in the Champions League in 2024, though this evening's reception may be more hostile.
