Mikel Arteta has now shared what Pep Guardiola said to him after Manchester City suffered a 1-0 loss to Arsenal before the international break.
The £159,615-a-week tactician made the comments when speaking on the Men In Blazers podcast.
So, what did Mikel Arteta say about Pep Guardiola? Let’s take a look…
What’s the story?
Well, the Spanish duo have a strong relationship after working together at the Etihad Stadium for three years from 2016 to 2019.
Arteta revealed that things got a bit “tense” between him and Guardiola after Arsenal defeated Manchester City at the Emirates Stadium recently, but added that the 52-year-old still congratulated the Gunners.
The 41-year-old said: “I talked with him (Guardiola) after the game. It’s always like this, it’s very tense, it’s very emotional, a lot is going on in that moment, but after that, the relationship remains intact.
“I lost much more than I won against him but, to be fair, in the last two games when we won the Community Shield and now in the league, the feeling is totally different. He said, congratulations, you guys are a terrific team.”
That clash before the international break was only the third time Arteta has defeated Guardiola in management from 11 attempts.
There have been no draws between the two Spaniards, with Guardiola winning all of the other eight clashes – as Transfermarkt shows.
Mikel Arteta could replace Pep Guardiola at Manchester City
Interestingly, Arteta has been mentioned as a possible replacement for Guardiola at the Etihad Stadium.
The Telegraph state that the San Sebastián-born tactician is an option for Manchester City along with Roberto De Zerbi.
As documented by ESPN, Guardiola himself even admitted that Arteta was likely to be named as his replacement before he eventually signed a new contract at the Etihad Stadium.
Whoever is given the task of replacing Guardiola will have some pretty giant shoes to fill – to say the least.
