Mikel Arteta- Pep Guardiola Rift? Manchester City Manager Asks Arsenal Manager to Explain Comments

By Mohd Faisal Hakak On Sep 28, 2024

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has acknowledged that his rivalry with Arsenal has intensified after their recent Premier League encounter at the Etihad Stadium. The match concluded in a thrilling 2-2 draw, with tensions soaring between the two title rivals.

A significant flashpoint arose when City striker Erling Haaland threw the ball at Arsenal defender Gabriel, escalating tensions on the pitch. City defenders John Stones and Kyle Walker claimed that Arsenal resorted to the “dark arts” to defend their slim 2-1 lead in the second half. Nonetheless, Stones would later score a vital equalizer in the eighth minute of stoppage time, securing a point for City deep into added time.

The tensions between the two teams have seen no signs of cooling down as the two managers have recently been involved in a war of words. Pep Guardiola has responded to Mikel Arteta’s claims that he possesses inside information about Manchester City by challenging the Arsenal manager to clarify his statement.

The Arsenal manager, who served as Guardiola’s assistant at the Etihad from 2016 to 2019, had earlier stated, “I was there for four years. I have all the information, believe me.”

The implication was that Arteta is aware that City uses similar tactics; however, when Guardiola was presented with those quotes, he suggested that his counterpart should be “more clear.”

“Did he really say that?” Guardiola questioned. “Next time he has to be more clear about exactly what it mean. He said he was here four years and we know exactly what happened here because it can be related to all the processes now with 115 charges; maybe it’s about that. He knows information about that maybe.”

“Hopefully this question has been asked. He can answer exactly what it means when he said he was here and I know what’s happening here, and instead of being in the clouds there [points above him] to be more precise,” he added.

Relations between the two clubs have deteriorated as they have competed for the last two Premier League titles; however, Arteta stated in his Friday news conference that the rivalry would not impact the personal relationship between the two coaches.

Following Sunday’s showdown, both teams returned to winning ways with Manchester City seeing off a challenge from Watford in the Carabao Cup and Arsenal thrashing Bolton Wanderers 5-1 in the same competition.

Manchester City will now face Newcastle United at Saint James’ Park while the Gunners will welcome Leicester City at the Emirates in the Premier League.

Mohd Faisal Hakak

Mohd Faisal Hakak is a sports author from Kashmir. He likes to keep tabs on the sporting world with a keen interest in football, motorsports, NBA, and other marquee sports. He is a science graduate from Islamia College Srinagar.