Mikel Arteta has disclosed what he said to Pep Guardiola and his staff after Manchester City beat Arsenal to the Premier League title.
Guardiola and Arteta worked in tandem between 2016 and 2019 at Manchester City before the latter was appointed as the Gunners’ manager — winning two league titles as well as one FA Cup and Carabao Cup apiece.
Since then, the Arsenal boss has proven that he has the ability to compete with the Catalan tactician to win league titles — making him a special manager as well.
What Arteta told Guardiola and his staff after Man City won Premier League
So far, it seems like despite Arteta’s quality as a coach and Arsenal’s improved recruitment, they simply cannot get one over Guardiola and City.
The £378,846-a-week man at the Etihad Stadium continues to have the edge over a manager who is 11 years younger than him; an indicator of how he has remained elite throughout different eras of football.
Now, Mikel Arteta has revealed that after Manchester City won the Premier League title, he congratulated Pep Guardiola and his staff.
Speaking to CNN, the 42-year-old said: “I congratulated him, all the staff.”
“At the end, they deserved it. They were the winners. We keep chasing it and trying to be better than them.”
“One is the professional relationship and that competition and then there’s obviously all the personal feelings that I have towards him and all the staff. I spent four beautiful years over there and that’s never going to change.”
Classy gesture from Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta
In our view, Mikel Arteta deserves credit for going out of his way and tipping his hat to Pep Guardiola and his staff.
Considering Arteta and Arsenal’s main rivals for the title were Guardiola and his City side, some may have assumed that the North London side’s manager would have a sense of animosity after finishing second to the champions of England.
But instead, as the Spaniard revealed, he will always cherish his connection with Pep Guardiola and his staff.
Mikel Arteta’s team lost the league title but their manager has showcased how it is key to lose gracefully.
Guardiola and his staff would have appreciated the gesture from the highly-rated tactician.