Ahead of this weekend’s match between Arsenal and Manchester City, Guardiola’s opinion on Mikel Arteta might surprise you.
Ever since Pep Guardiola agreed to have Mikel Arteta as his assistant manager at Manchester City, this ‘master and pupil’ narrative started. After leaving the Citizens while he followed his heart, Mikel began experiencing early success during his first season with the Gunners.
This is an outcome that never surprised Guardiola, he always felt it was a possibility. Now that they are about to meet in the Premier League this weekend, the former Barcelona manager wanted to set the record straight. Pep is having none of this ‘master and pupil’ nonsense.
You might think he is rejecting high praise one more time, but he feels Arteta having success as a manager was always inevitable. Guardiola is happy to clash against a colleague who happened to take his first managerial steps under his watch. But that’s all.
Pep is looking forward to competing against Arteta.
It all happened during the press conference ahead of the Arsenal vs Manchester City match, Pep wanted to clear the air quickly.
“We should clarify who is the master and who is the apprentice,” Guardiola said via Manchester Evening News. “None of the people who know him had any doubts about what he is doing in a short period of time.
“He settled really well and especially the way his team is playing right now is perfect for the quality they have. He was able to get Arsenal back to the position they were in a long, long time ago.
“He’s doing really well in all competitions. Mikel is a competitor and a fighter and has a clear idea of what to do on and off the pitch. All the people who love him are more than happy with what he is doing in London.”
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