'I don’t think any of us doubted': Vincent Kompany on Burnley's big Arsenal test & playing under Mikel Arteta at Man City

The Burnley boss worked under Arteta at the Etihad for a number of years during his assistant manager’s role to Pep Guardiola.

Now working as the head coach at Arsenal, the Spaniard has proved to be a talented boss having challenged his former side for the Premier League title last season, only to fall just short.

Burnley face the daunting challenge of taking on the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium this afternoon looking to afternoon a fifth straight league defeat.

Opening up on his relationship with Arteta while playing at Man City, Kompany said: “He was still able to join in the sessions when I was there. He was intense but every now and then if he got too intense you could leave something on him in training!

“But he was extremely passionate, driven, dedicated, intelligent. He had a big role behind the scenes for the club.

“I don’t think any of us doubted he would be a good manager. What he has done at Arsenal, it’s completely in line with his personality.

“He’s had some tough challenges, but he managed to rally the club behind him and eventually they have built a team together that is one of the best teams in the league.

“There was a plan and a method behind it, which he knew he would execute if given the time and people are seeing it now.

“But let’s not forget how he was judged in the beginning and what has come to light for him now. It’s probably something he planned since day one.

“As a club and as a manager, they’ve done really well.”

Arsenal currently sit in fourth place in the table, three points off leaders Man City, while they’re also going well in Europe.

“You saw against Sevilla, it’s a very complete team,” Kompany added. “You talk about habits and standards and you can see the journey they’ve been on.

“It’s a very robust squad in every way. It’s strong physically and technically, they have speed in the right areas and a team that is well coached and belongs where they belong at the moment, which is the top of the elite of English football.”