'Mikel Arteta, Xabi Alonso and Andoni Iraola all worked under me - one was just different'

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"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."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.

We had a great team and I consider myself very, very competitive, and I instil that in all my teams."Montiel would prove instrumental in kickstarting Iraola's coaching journey, though he confessed he was uncertain whether his former protege would enter management.Xabi Alonso's Chelsea take on a Liverpool side managed by Andoni Iraola on Wednesday. (Image: Getty Images)"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."Iraola's first senior management role arrived with Cypriot outfit AEK Larnaca, where he stayed for one season before heading back to Spain in 2019 to lead newly promoted Segunda Division side Mirandes.

Following his retirement in 2016, he faced three possibilities: Arsene Wenger offered him the opportunity 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 serve under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City.Arteta chose the final option, embarking on a coaching education that would define his managerial path.When Wenger left Arsenal in 2018, Arteta was heavily tipped for the position, but the club selected Unai Emery instead. He headed to Real Madrid 12 months later, though his tenure at the Bernabeu ended before he could complete a full season.Chelsea then hired Alonso in July, arranging a reunion with Iraola and Arteta in the Premier League.On Wednesday, Alonso makes his return to Anfield, this time as boss of an opposing side.