Arteta vs Inzaghi: Do Arsenal or Inter have the better manager? | OneFootball

Simone Inzaghi and Mikel Arteta will meet for the first time, both regarded as among the most astute football managers today. While there are similarities between them, there are also notable contrasts, particularly in their trophy cabinets, with one coach having a more impressive collection.

One can sympathize with Arteta, as since his appointment to lead the Gunners, his team — all clubs in England’s top division for that matter — have had to contend with the juggernaut that is Manchester City with Arsenal twice finishing as runners-up in the Premier League, which can be viewed as a form of success, particularly considering the progress the north London club has made since he took charge.

Inter had success before Inzaghi’s arrival, as they were champions the season prior. However, they finished second and third in the following seasons before winning the club’s 20th title under his leadership.

During Inzaghi’s tenure, Inter claimed back-to-back Coppa Italia titles and lifted three Italian Super Cups. Meanwhile, Arteta has guided Arsenal to one FA Cup victory and two Community Shields. However, the Spaniard has yet to achieve success in European competitions; the Nerazzurri reached the Champions League final in 2023 but lost to Manchester City.

But let’s look even deeper and see which of the two we can consider the better coach.

Transfer spend per point

There is no question about the status of both clubs; they are both considered among Europe’s super clubs. However, not all “super clubs” are created equal. In relation to their respective competitions, both clubs are significant spenders, but how effective has their spending been in terms of on-field success?

One way to determine which club is performing better is to analyze their spending relative to league points earned. We can assess how much value each club is getting for their investments by calculating the “spending per league point.”

To do this, we will take each club’s total expenditure on player acquisitions — the combined purchase value of all players in their squad (whether they’re still at the club or otherwise) — and compare it to their points tally since Inzaghi and Arteta were appointed as managers. Inzaghi took over in July 2021, while Arteta was appointed in December 2019. This difference in their timeframes does not allow for a direct evaluation of their performances, but this is the beauty of averages.

The reporting of transfer fees is often inconsistent, so we’re using a single source: Transfermarkt. This figure can be divided by points to determine the financial value of what they refer to as ‘transfer effectivity’. Inter, during Inzaghi’s reign, have spent €256.3m in transfer fees, which is less than half of Arsenal’s spending from the 2020 winter transfer window to the present, totalling €791.8m.

As of this writing, Inter has spent €935,500 per point, while Arsenal’s expenditure stands at €2.24 million per point. This indicates that the Italians have consistently maximized their financial resources more effectively than Arteta’s club over the past four seasons, and they have a championship to show for it.

Who coaches the more exciting football?

Football, like all forms of entertainment, is subjective to the viewer. What one person finds entertaining, another might consider dull. However, the eye test is rarely wrong. The entertainment value of football can be seen through goals and the frequency of those being scored.

In his 181 league matches in charge, the Gunners have scored a total of 343 goals, averaging 1.9 goals per game, which equates to a goal every 48 minutes. Meanwhile, Inzaghi has managed 125 matches in Serie A as Inter’s head coach, during which his team has scored 269 goals, averaging 2.2 goals per game, or one goal every 42 minutes.

Both the Premier League and Italy’s top division have their unique characteristics. Does this imply that it is significantly easier for a dominant team in Italy to have their way in front of goal, or is it simply that Inzaghi has designed his team to score more goals per game in a shorter amount of time?

“Inter are one of the most tactically fluid teams in Europe. They like to have overlapping centre-backs and inverted wing-backs,” Squawka’s Dean Smith noted in the Champions League predictions podcast ahead of Wednesday’s game.

Who’s the more defensively solid?

Remember the mention of each league’s unique characteristics. The old stereotype of Serie A as a defender’s paradise evolved from the historical dominance of defensive players and tactics in Italian football. However, this perception has slightly changed in recent years, with many clubs in the “boot-shaped peninsula” being regarded as more attack-minded and exciting to watch, including Inter. Nevertheless, defence wins championships, and Inzaghi’s team is no different.

When we examine this season’s performance as a small sample size, we see that Inter has kept five clean sheets in 11 matches, conceding 13 goals, which averages to 1.1 goals per game. Their expected goals on target conceded (XGTC) is 13.93. In comparison, Arsenal has recorded three shutouts in 10 games and also conceded 11 goals, averaging 1.1 per game, with a lower XGTC of 9.96. Additionally, Inter has faced 41 shots, while Arsenal has encountered 43. On the surface, both teams appear to be as defensively solid as each other.

Squad improvement

Before Simone Inzaghi’s appointment, we can analyze Inter Milan’s performance over the previous three seasons (2018/19, 2019/20, and 2020/21). During that time, the team averaged 80.7 points per season and typically finished in 2.3rd place. Since Inzaghi took charge, and excluding the current season, Inter has averaged 83.3 points per season with an average finish of 2nd place.

To provide a fair comparison for Mikel Arteta, we’ll examine Arsenal’s performances over the four seasons from 2015/16 to 2018/19, which includes Arsène Wenger’s final three years at the club. During this stretch, Arsenal averaged 69.8 points per season, finishing in 4.5th place on average. In the subsequent four seasons, not including the 2019/20 season when Arteta was appointed midway, Arsenal has averaged 75.8 points per season and typically finishes in 4th place.

Inzaghi has improved Inter’s performance by an average of 2.6 points per season, while Arteta has achieved an impressive increase of six points per season. However, it’s important to note that Arsenal was coming from a position of underperformance, whereas Inter were the champions before Inzaghi took over. Although Inzaghi has significantly improved Inter’s fortunes, Arteta has surpassed expectations, transforming Arsenal from outsiders into perennial title challengers.

In conclusion, who is the better coach? From an attacking football perspective, Inzaghi gets the nod, with both coaches being equal in terms of setting up defensively. Inzaghi is the more trophy-laden manager, while Arteta has transformed Arsenal more significantly than Inzaghi has with Milan. With very few factors to differentiate them, we have to give Inzaghi the edge. However, what truly matters is who will come out on top when they meet in a competitive setting.