In their last encounter, a tense 2-2 draw, City players accused Arsenal of playing dirty. That match saw City’s Rodri get a nasty knee injury, and Arsenal had to play with just 10 men after Leandro Trossard was sent off. The game ended dramatically with John Stones netting a last-minute equalizer for City, and Erling Haaland celebrated by tossing the ball at Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes.
Arteta, who was Guardiola's assistant before taking the reins at Arsenal in 2019, subtly pointed out that the Premier League champions aren't exactly saints either.
“I have been there before, I was there for four years. I have all the information. So I know. Believe me,” he said at the time.
Guardiola was thought to be a bit annoyed with Arteta, suggesting he needs to “be more clear” about his hints.
With Arsenal sitting in second place and City in fourth, their upcoming match in north London could add more pressure to Arteta’s relationship with Guardiola.
However, Arteta insists that things are still good between him and his fellow Spaniard.
Nothing personal
“I was there for four years, so I know how competitive they are. They win and win again. That is what I meant,” he said Friday of the terse exchanges in September.
“If there was a problem, we wouldn’t have been talking on the phone and messaging each other. If not, it wouldn’t happen.”
City has edged out Arsenal for the Premier League title in the last two seasons, which has only cranked up the rivalry.
However, just an hour before Arteta spoke to the press on Friday, Guardiola downplayed any talk of a feud, calling their relationship “exceptional.”
Arteta agreed, stating that the rivalry is just “normal” with both teams aiming for victory.
“I don’t take anything personally that happens on the pitch. It’s been that way since I was a player. It is full of emotions. We just move on.”
Arsenal really can’t afford any mistakes against City as they look to narrow the gap with leaders Liverpool, who are six points ahead and have a game in hand.
Even though Arsenal is on a six-game unbeaten streak across all competitions, injuries to Gabriel Jesus and Bukayo Saka could throw a wrench in their quest for their first title since 2004.
Arteta is eager to bring in a new striker before the transfer deadline on Monday, but he didn’t comment on rumors about a bid for Aston Villa’s Ollie Watkins.
“I’m very confident with the work the club is doing and exploring every opportunity that can have an impact on the team,” he said.
“I don’t want to give any assurances. It doesn’t only depend on us, the possibilities are affected by three parties.”