Pep Guardiola has insisted relations with Mikel Arteta are cordial despite the friction sparked between the pair after Manchester City’s 2-2 draw with Arsenal last season.
After the highly eventful game at the Etihad Stadium in September 2024, Guardiola was left unhappy with his former assistant stating he had “all the information” about his former club, having worked there from 2016 to 2019. Arteta’s comment seemed to hint that City used supposed dark arts as he spoke out after John Stones and Bernardo Silva criticised Arsenal’s use of such tactics during the game, the former saying of their approach: “You can call it clever, or dirty, whichever way you want to put it.”
Before City face Arsenal in Sunday’s Carabao Cup final, Guardiola was asked if he felt able to have dinner with Arteta. “No, I don’t have time to go to London, and I think he hasn’t got time to come to Manchester,” he said. “The relationship is completely different to when we were here five or six hours a day. All the managers have a lot of business to do, but if you want to try with your question to create some conflict with Mikel or myself or Arsenal, I am old enough to [see you trying to] do that.”
It was put to Guardiola that it is ironic Arteta’s side are now such masters of the dark arts. “You say that? Go to London, to the conference with Mikel. You have time to go – go there and ask him about that,” he said. “Because if someone does this kind of thing there are officials to deal with this. The manager can do whatever he wants, I can do whatever I want. I don’t know if it’s dark arts on one team or the other team.
“Look what happens around the world, we are in an incredible chaos and nobody moves one finger. Everything is behind the scenes.
The world is going to collapse and still we are here talking about either dark arts of one team or another team. There are more important things than that.”
Guardiola praised Arteta for moulding Arsenal’s current style, one that has them chasing an unprecedented quadruple. “Normally it happens that the team who wins there is a tendency to copy, but that is a bit of a mistake because you have to feel what you have to do [personal to you],” said the 55-year-old. “Otherwise, in the long term, it will not work.”
City are nine points behind Arsenal in the Premier League, albeit with a game in hand and with the current leaders to go to the Etihad next month, and Guardiola was asked if Sunday’s result could affect the title race. “I don’t know. Winning helps just for the fact that winning helps [confidence],” he said.
“But we can win on Sunday and then be bad in the league. I learned that in many competitions and many games with a short time of recovery you have to have the ability to forget and move forwards. Learn what you have to do better and this is what you have to do.”
Guardiola confirmed James Trafford will face Arsenal having being City’s starting goalkeeper throughout this season’s Carabao Cup.
