After Arsenal’s 4-2 win over Leicester, Mikel Arteta took the opportunity to diffuse simmering tensions with Manchester City by declaring his love and admiration for Pep Guardiola and his staff.
While the rivalry between the two sides has intensified over the past two years, Sunday’s fiery 2-2 draw at the Etihad seems to have escalated tensions to a new level.
A physical battle on the pitch later turned into a war of words with a trio of City players – Bernardo Silva, Manuel Akanji and John Stones – all criticising the Gunners for wasting time as the visitors tried to cling onto a lead with 10 men.
When Arteta was asked about their comments in Tuesday’s pre-Bolton press conference, the Spaniard hinted the same tactics were employed by City during his time as Guardiola’s assistant.
“No comment,” was Arteta’s initial reaction when asked what he made of their comments. Laughing, he then added: “I’ve been there before, I was there for four years. I have all the information, so I know, believe me.
“If we play such a game and at the end, the discussion is about those topics, we’re are in a great direction, that means we are putting away things that are normally associated with them after games. That’s it.”
When Guardiola was asked about Arteta’s response, he was reluctant to comment without knowing the exact words used by the Arsenal coach. However, he then steered the conversation into uncharted territory by referencing the off-field charges City are currently contesting with the Premier League.
“Next time he has to be more clearly exactly what does it mean,” said Guardiola.
“When he said he was here four years and we know exactly what happened here because it can be related, you know, to all the process now with the 115 charges, maybe it’s about that, he knows information about that or maybe like something I don’t know. Really, next time, he has to be more clear exactly what happened.
He continued: “Next time, hopefully with the good relationship I have with him, this question can be asked and he can say exactly what he means when he said, he was here and ‘I know what happened here’ instead of [leaving] clouds there, be more precise.”
He later rallied his players referencing comments made by Arsenal defender Gabriel who described the 2-2 draw as “a battle, a war”.
“You want a war? Now we war,” said Guardiola. “Gabriel said it perfectly in the press after the match, so this is a war. We have to provoke the opponent, to push them, and at the end, what can you do? You provoke me, OK, I’m there.”
After six days of back and forth, Arteta, clearly frustrated at the way the situation had spiralled out of control, attempted to draw a line under the matter on Saturday night.
He said: “I can repeat it very clear, I love Pep, I have admired him since I was 10 years old. I respect him profoundly I am so grateful for everything he did for me and continues to do with me, I consider him a friend. I love and I respect every member of the staff there because I worked with them for four years, and when I say I know them, it’s I know how hard they work. I haven’t seen a human being work as hard as Pep, and the coaches and everybody in that football club to be consistently winning, and the reason they are there is because they maintain that hunger and this is exactly what I learn and exactly what I mean.
“It cannot be any more clear than that. If you want I can repeat it, if someone wants to damage a relationship that’s not in my hands. That feeling is profound, he knows it, the staff know it. I still maintain today with them, with the board, with the ownership, with everybody and if it not it wouldn’t be genuine and it is.
“If someone wants to play something else for me the sport has to be about that will to win, they have it, I have it, we have it, for sure because we haven’t done it. They have it even if they want it more than anybody else, we have to learn and it has to be inspiring for us and it is for me and that’s what I mean because I have been there. It is remarkable and it’s an incredible achievement because they have that mentality. Hopefully, that is clear.”
The subject will undoubtedly resurface in February when City visit the Emirates, setting the stage for unsettled grudges to be resolved on the pitch.
Yesterday, City dropped two points away at Newcastle and Arsenal capitalised to go level on points with the reigning champions. Both sides are one point behind Liverpool who, under Arne Slot, look a decent bet to challenge for the title.
Brilliant!
Year of the RBC if ever there was one – Pep, Ten Hag, Slot. Beware the Hair, RBCs. All love to non-rattled BCs.
Media side shows aside, it was great to see Trossard score (or force an OG in this case) and ‘really’ celebrate at last.
He scores when he starts
he scores when he staaaarts
Leandro Trossard
He scores when he starts
(rarely, but at least apparently it does happen)
I just wonder why the City players all felt the need to sound off? Do they genuinely feel they wouldn’t have played that way in the same scenario? Do they genuinely feel morally superior? Do they somehow feel hard done by??? I chalk it up to extreme competitiveness and frustration right after a match. I think they might temper their words more if we asked the same questions today. The one part that had me raising my eyebrow was Pep unnecessarily bringing the off field charges into the fray. It tells me it’s preying on his mind. He’s worried. If… Read more »
You’re suggesting that Pep has a guilty conscience?
I don’t know if he personally feels guilty. There’s no allegation of wrongdoing on his part. I think it’s a fear of how much he has to lose if the arbitration comes down hard on City, which is not only possible but likely.
Pep is most certainly aware of what goes on behind the scene at city (which technically makes him complicit). However, taking away my dislike for city he’s a quite brilliant coach who I wish no ill will towards. His personal achievements should be celebrated in isolation. I know he’s been the face of corrupt organisations and had unlimited resources everywhere he’s been, but he’s certainly made the most of them. Not every coach can do that, look at that bald fraud over the road at UTD.
I don’t know Jeremy, I mean Ben Johnson was pretty fast.
Yeah that’s how I feel. City are undoubtedly an incredibly well run organization from top to bottom who have maximized the ability to win modern football matches. Guardiola is the best manager ever to do it. At the same time, there is undeniably some double dealing and book cooking that happened in order to accelerate their timeline to get to this point and they need to be held accountable for that.
It’s so much simpler than that actually… There’s a famous quote from Byron Katie “everyone is a mirror image of yourself – your own thinking coming back to you”.
City simply looked at us last weekend and saw a reflection of themselves that they didn’t like. A team that’s just as good as you, works just as hard, has even learned to employ the “dark arts” exactly the same way you do, but has achieved all of that without cheating like you have? That can be hard to stomach.
They are used to teams just rolling over for them and cannot fathom that arsenal is standing up to them. Like how dare you not let us play the way we want!?!? So They all went on to give these interviews which was clearly a propaganda campaign to paint arsenal as anti-football and put pressure on Arteta to change tactics. Their media relations team are on a mission to buy city some sympathy in the face of everything going on. I hope our players don’t fall for it and teach Haaland and co a lesson on humility in the next… Read more »
Arsenal have gradually become a difficult riddle for Pep and his team to solve. Four games without a win against Arsenal? They are rattled. I hope we win the three-horse race the title is shaping up to be again.
Glad Pep / city are feeling tense, but Mikel needs to stop declaring his undying love and admiration for him / city now. I know the press push it, but they’re our rivals. It grinds after hearing it 100 times. How about just saying, “there’s no problem” and moving on.
Because if you leave it tense and curt, they’ll think you’re not telling them something and they’ll come up with more and more ways to ask again and again. This is the only way to put it to bed. Shows respect, shows humility. Nobody can fault that.
Showering them with love and respect is the coolest way to deal with a wound up opponent… it makes them look petty and small, and will wind them up even more.
Guardiola has said many times that the people who run the club have assured him that City are not guilty of anything and that he will leave if it turns out that is not the case. Assuming he believed them–and I think it’s possible that the assurances came from people he trusts, and that he did believe them (whether or not he should have)–then I suspect a real crisis is coming. Unless City is *completely* vindicated (zero possibility) or the charges on which they are found guilty can plausibly be dismissed as a “technicality,” it is likely that he will… Read more »
I agree, it seemed wierdly paranoid! Does Mikel know something?? Why isn’t he telling me?? *Chews nails*
Or he’s just on so much money that he reads the PR as supplied and doesn’t ask any questions that might derail the gravy train.
Cynical? Moi?