Fleetwood Boss Matt Lawlor Praises Mikel Arteta Ahead of Arsenal Clash

Lawlor, who was appointed permanent head coach of the League Two side in March, is relishing the opportunity to welcome Arsenal to a sold-out Highbury Stadium.

The Cod Army began their Carabao Cup campaign back in August, beating fellow League Two sides Chesterfield and Shrewsbury Town.

However, their route to the fourth round came through a shock 1-0 home win against Sheffield United, who sit 54 places above them in the Football League. 

Lawlor’s side have been rewarded with the challenge of taking on the team who reached the summit of English football last season, and are currently battling at the top once again with Manchester City for the top prize in the country. 

Speaking to the press ahead of Tuesday’s showdown, Lawlor spoke of his admiration and respect for his counterpart.

“You can’t have any more respect. He’s the champion of this country, the reigning champion of this country. He has built something in his own shape. Manchester United are probably going through it now, but when Arsene Wenger left, he had that sustained success and then, since, they have probably struggled, Arsenal. 

“Until he [Arteta] got there, and then he started to put together teams that compete, and time obviously allowed him to go and compete at the highest, highest, highest of levels. Champions League finalists, he took PSG, the European champions, to extra time and penalties,” Lawlor continued. 

“A champion of the club - I can’t have any more respect for someone that’s done what he’s done with no experience of being a manager prior. Obviously, he came from Man City as an assistant to Pep and whatnot, but he has created his own version of football.

“He does everything, every detail of the game, to a very, very, very high standard. His thought process and everything is something to be massively respected on my part, and it is something that I could look on and admire.”

Lawlor also conceded that it would be a difficult task to try and predict what team the Premier League champions will field.

Gabriel, Bukayo Saka and David Raya were joined by Mikel Arteta on Monday evening at the 2026 Ballon D’Or awards, where Saka was presented with the Socrates Award for his efforts with charities across the past year. 

Mikel Merino, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Viktor Gyokeres all featured in the win against Everton at the weekend, while Max Dowman should be handed another opportunity to impress after a standout display against Ipswich Town in the previous round. 

“We know the players, don’t get me wrong, because they’re all Premier League footballers, but we don’t have a clue how they will line up. You could have a look at the last game against Ipswich in the Carabao Cup and take a little bit of a guess,” he explained.

“You look at the weekend and he’s actually got on, does that mean he’s not going to play here or is he starting? We’ve got no idea, it’s all educated guesswork. We are preparing for  a squad of 30 players that are all international footballers.”

Arsenal will be keen to avoid what can always prove to be a potential banana skin, having not lost to League Two opposition since 2012, losing on penalties to Bradford City.