Despite their tense matchup at the top of the table last weekend, Mikel Arteta, the manager of Arsenal, stated that he still “loves” Pep Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City.
The English Premier League champions managed to escape with a 2-2 draw against 10-man Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium, thanks to a goal from John Stones deep into stoppage time.
Just before the half, Arteta’s team—who had finished second to City in the Premier League the previous two seasons—saw Leandro Trossard sent off.
In the second half, the Gunners tried their hardest to purposefully cause their opponents problems by wasting time and committing cynical fouls.
Despite having the majority of the possession, City was unable to break down Arsenal, which prompted Stones and colleague Bernardo Silva to charge the north Londoners with using the “dark arts” of football.
Arteta, who was Guardiola’s assistant at City before becoming Arsenal manager, claimed the dispute will not affect his personal relationship with his fellow Spaniard.
“I love him, I respect him and I admire him, his team and everything that he does,” he said Friday, on the eve of his side’s match against Leicester.
“This is a sport – one thing is our profession and the other is our personal relationship.
“If my relationship has to be damaged because we play against each other and one draws or the one wins, or the amount of times that we have lost then I wouldn’t talk to him any more.”
Reporters questioned Arteta about if it was more difficult to keep friendships strong during intense games between championship contenders.
“It’s quite simple – don’t take it personally, it’s part of our job,” he said.”The things that you really care about, make sure you handle them in the right way.”That relationship, I really care about. It’s the same with a lot of people in their staff and players that I spent some very important years of my life with.”
A Gentle Reminder: Every obstacle is a stepping stone, every morning; a chance to go again, and those little steps take you closer to your dream.
Nnamdi Okoli