Pep Guardiola has sung the praises of Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard ahead of his Manchester City side taking on the Gunners on Wednesday. The two teams head into the game firmly locked in a battle for the Premier League title where the winner will hand themselves a great chance of lifting silverware at the end of May.
Mikel Arteta's men have struggled for form in recent weeks, drawing their last three games against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton. Despite their slip-ups, Arsenal remain five points clear at the top, but City have two games in hand which means a win is an absolute must for the Gunners.
Someone who will undoubtedly be key to their hopes of a triumph at Etihad Stadium is Odegaard. Alongside Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, the Norway international has been integral to Arsenal's attacking success this season scoring 12 goals and grabbing seven assists.
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Ahead of the key title clash, City boss Guardiola recounted a previous experience from nearly a decade ago with Odegaard, revealing how long it took him to realise the attacking midfielder's quality.
“I remember Odegaard, years ago," he said in a press conference. "He came with his father for 2 days of training sessions [in 2014]. I needed 5 minutes to think: this kid plays good. He’s great player, really. Exceptional”.
Odegaard is not the only Arsenal representative that Guardiola has links to with Arteta his former assistant at City before the Spaniard took the reigns at Emirates Stadium. When asked about his relationship with the Arsenal boss, Guardiola was quick to detail how his old colleague created his success in north London.
"I think the development of the club since he took over is obvious, it is the reality," he said. "I don’t have to change what I think. When you talk about the work of a football manager, I am a trainer, not a manager. I have the feeling Mikel changed the structure of the club [Arsenal]. He changed a lot of players.
"He has been supported by the hierarchy of the club and that is why the success is there. Before it was a top six, now a top eight because Newcastle is there and for every year it will be more and more difficult and Arsenal in the last years always was there and this season make another step because all season has been there.
"I have been impressed, they have been really good. Nothing changes what we live, what I think of him," Guardiola continued. He [Arteta] lives in London, I live here, I see him less and we talk less and that is normal. The relationship is always happy and that will stay the same."
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