After Arsenal gained criticism for their ‘dark arts’ tactics in the 2-2 draw at Man City last weekend, Mikel Arteta hinted Man City can also play in a similar way; Pep Guardiola has called for Arteta to explain his comments “because it could be related to the process with 115 charges”
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has demanded clarity from Arsenal counterpart Mikel Arteta over his comments about the Premier League champions’ “dark arts”.
Last weekend’s thrilling Super Sunday contest between City and Arsenal saw Arteta’s Gunners draw criticism over their tactics, especially in the second half of the game after they were reduced to 10 men following Leandro Trossard’s red card.
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City duo John Stones and Bernardo Silva accused 10-player Arsenal of “time-wasting” and “dirty” tactics after a string of their players went down to receive treatment during a stormy second period – but Arteta then hit back in his next press conference on Tuesday, hinting that City have similar skills up their sleeves.
“I’ve been there [at City] before,” said Arteta, who worked as Guardiola’s assistant before taking the Arsenal job. “I was there for four years. I have all the information, so I know.”
And in his own press conference on Friday, Guardiola called for Arteta to explain his comments, especially in the context of City being charged for 115 breaches of the Premier League’s financial rules. The hearing for that case began earlier this month.
“Next time, Mikel has to be more clear,” said Guardiola. “He has to be clear next time about exactly what he means that he was here for four years and he knows exactly what happened here.
“Because it could be related to the process with 115 charges, he may know information about that, maybe. I don’t know.
“Next time, he has to say [it more] clearly. Instead of having clouds there, [he needs] to be more precise.”
Arteta: I love and admire Pep despite rivalry
Speaking in his own press conference on Friday, Arteta said his personal relationship with Guardiola has not changed despite City and Arsenal battling against each other at the top of the table.
Sunday’s game at the Etihad Stadium saw aggressive scenes at the full-time whistle, with City striker Erling Haaland telling Arteta to “stay humble, eh” while patting the Arsenal manager on the back.
“I love him. I respect him and admire him. I admire his team and everything he does,” says Arteta about his relationship with Guardiola.
“One thing is our professional, another is my personal relationships. If that has to be damaged because we play against each other, then I wouldn’t talk to him any more! That’s not a relationship I consider both of us have. Sport will never get in my way for a personal relationship, for sure.
Further pushed about the criticism of Arsenal’s tactics in Manchester last weekend, Arteta added: “It’s part of what we do. I don’t want to be on YouTube because we’ve been so silly.
“I want to be on YouTube in May because we’ve been done the right things, for the right reasons, and lifting what we want to lift.
“To do that, we have to be efficient in what we do. I didn’t predict to play 56 minutes with 10 men. Sometimes the opponent is better at something in the game.That doesn’t mean they are better, it means they are doing better at that specific thing inside one game.
“When we hear negative criticism after where we are, what we’ve been through in the last three games, that tells you the expectations. We have to raise the levels, that’s it.”
