Quote Originally Posted by Mac76 View Post
someone can lack the self-esteem to control others via diplomacy and giving them a little rope, but still underneath it all believe they are the smartest guy in the room - the two things aren't mutually exclusive

and regarding "I think we have enough depth that as long as Arteta doesn’t insist on using the same players every game" I'll believe it when i see it

I actually think it could be one of two extremes, either he changes nothing or, with more 'quality' players, he maybe goes the other way and starts constantly chopping and changing to 'outsmart' the opposition manager and ends up creating one big mess
No they are mutually exclusive, if the reason for his lack of diplomacy was lack of self esteem he would not have the self esteem to make the decisions he has, and certainly wouldn’t be so bullish about it either. You’d be too worried about being mocked and ridiculed, that’s how self esteem works…you’re constantly worried about what people think about you. Arteta does not care what people think about him.
People who lack self esteem often look for constant reassurance and validation from others and apart from your let’s be fair nothing burger that Xhaka existed to boost his ego there’s just nothing that suggests he seeks validation/reassurance. I’ve previously suggested he could be narcissistic but I think that was wide of the mark, because for instance I think he would have become defensive over comments around his touchline antics and he’s largely indifferent.
I wouldn’t go as far as to call him Schizoid, but there is a definite lack of interest in forming relationships with people.