{"id":290391,"date":"2023-10-07T22:28:14","date_gmt":"2023-10-07T22:28:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/?p=290391"},"modified":"2023-10-07T22:28:14","modified_gmt":"2023-10-07T22:28:14","slug":"pep-guardiola-is-sure-mikel-arteta-will-be-his-biggest-rival-for-title","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/soccer\/pep-guardiola-is-sure-mikel-arteta-will-be-his-biggest-rival-for-title\/","title":{"rendered":"Pep Guardiola is sure mikel Arteta will be his biggest rival for title"},"content":{"rendered":"<h1>Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is sure his protege Mikel Arteta will be his biggest rival for title &#8230; but he claims he is still the best dresser!<\/h1>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Mikel Arteta&#8217;s was in danger of being sacked after a 5-0 loss to Man City in 2021<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Pep Guardiola took the unusual route of jumping to his defence after the match\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Listen to the latest episode of Mail Sport&#8217;s podcast &#8216;It&#8217;s All Kicking Off!&#8217;\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Pep Guardiola does not normally make a habit of supporting rival managers but he made an honourable exception for Mikel Arteta when his countryman was in danger of being sacked.<\/p>\n<p>Arteta\u2019s head was on the block after Arsenal\u2019s 5-0 defeat at Manchester City two seasons ago left them bottom of the table without a point or a goal after three matches.<\/p>\n<p>Sensing his friend and former colleague was in serious trouble, Guardiola used his post-match platform to launch a rare and impassioned defence of him by stating: \u2018I know him perfectly and the quality he has.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>The rest, as they say, is history. Arteta survived and is now arguably the biggest threat to Guardiola winning an unprecedented fourth Premier League title in a row. Arsenal will overtake City in the table if they win Sunday&#8217;s clash of the titans at the Emirates.<\/p>\n<p>For the build-up, Guardiola has opened up for the first time about why he fought for his fellow Spaniard. \u2018I remember the game [August 2021]. We started off quite equal and then, after one or two goals and Granit Xhaka was sent off, it wasn\u2019t easy for Mikel,\u2019 he says.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/20\/76284585-0-image-a-35_1696706374430.jpg\" height=\"417\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Man City boss Pep Guardiola doesn&#8217;t normally make a habit of supporting rival managers<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/21\/76284561-12605993-City_thrashed_Arsenal_5_0_in_August_2021_and_it_was_the_Gunners_-a-70_1696712186971.jpg\" height=\"494\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>City thrashed Arsenal 5-0 in August 2021 and it was the Gunners third defeat in as many games<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/21\/76284691-12605993-Arteta_was_in_danger_of_being_sacked_but_Guardiola_leaped_to_his-a-71_1696712186977.jpg\" height=\"457\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Arteta was in danger of being sacked but Guardiola leaped to his countryman&#8217;s defence\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I am not usually here to defend colleagues, we respect each other but we\u2019re not friends, but with Mikel it felt completely different.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018We worked together here for three years with a lot of success. I was pretty convinced about him because I saw his ideas and how he communicated with players.\u2019 Arteta has since proved Guardiola\u2019s judgment right. From despair, Arsenal recovered to finish fifth in 2021-22 and last season were City\u2019s closest challengers.<\/p>\n<p>He replaced the old guard headed by Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang with a young and energetic team, fortified last summer by signings like \u00a3105million England midfielder Declan Rice, also a target for City.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018It is proof that when a club really believes in something and shows patience to the manager, it works,\u2019 says Guardiola. \u2018Sometimes you need time. People at the top of the club always have to look at what is being built rather than relying on short-term results to make decisions.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018They trusted him and now the results are here as a consequence. Now, Arsenal have a manager for many years. He knows the club, he loves the club. It is impossible to get better than that.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/21\/76284735-12605993-Guardiola_s_judgement_was_right_as_Arsenal_have_come_leaps_and_b-a-72_1696712187005.jpg\" height=\"425\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Guardiola&#8217;s judgement was right as Arsenal have come leaps and bounds in recent years<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/21\/76284719-12605993-Arteta_replaced_the_old_guard_with_younger_players_such_as_forme-a-73_1696712187010.jpg\" height=\"473\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Arteta replaced the old guard with younger players such as former City target Declan Rice<\/p>\n<p>\u2018And Mikel is a guy so demanding with the board, \u201cGive me money to spend\u201d. He has this talent too. He pushes everyone.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>Arteta was one of Guardiola\u2019s first appointments at the Etihad in 2016. The apprentice watched and he learned, not only from the manager but his other high-class coaches like Rodolfo Borrell too. He spent time carefully studying training sessions put on at the academy as well as the first team before becoming more influential.<\/p>\n<p>However, Guardiola refutes the notion that he somehow created a mini-me in Arteta.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018I see zero characteristics in him from me. We have a different mother and father. I dress better, I am more elegant,\u2019 says the City boss with a smile. \u2018All the success Mikel has belongs to him and his people at Arsenal. It\u2019s definitely down to them, not me.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018People say he learned a lot from me, but I learned a lot from him as well. I bring in assistant coaches to teach me too.\u2019<\/p>\n<p>City face a test this afternoon. Their 100 per cent start to the season ended at Wolves last Saturday and they will again be without suspended midfield general Rodri, with Kevin De Bruyne also out with injury.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/21\/76285709-12605993-Guardiola_refutes_the_notion_that_he_created_a_mini_me_in_Arteta-a-74_1696712187037.jpg\" height=\"451\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>Guardiola refutes the notion that he created a mini-me in Arteta despite their time together<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/1s\/2023\/10\/07\/21\/76284743-12605993-He_is_happy_for_the_likes_of_Bernardo_Silva_and_Phil_Foden_to_st-a-75_1696712187040.jpg\" height=\"425\" width=\"634\"><\/p>\n<p>He is happy for the likes of Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden to step up in the absence of others\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>In the circumstances, Guardiola is happy others are stepping up to the plate and in fine form, notably Bernardo Silva and Phil Foden.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Bernardo is so important for us. He can play in many positions \u2014 last season he was left-back against Bukayo Saka \u2014 and is such a huge competitor, he gets incredibly angry and upset when we lose. If he and Kyle [Walker] had gone in the summer it would have been a big loss.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Phil has a free instinct as a footballer. He\u2019s not a player who always makes good decisions when he has to think too much, more a bird who flies wherever he wants.<\/p>\n<p>\u2018Sometimes there are duties and young players have steps they need to make. Rico Lewis has it immediately, but he doesn\u2019t have the talent Phil has in other aspects. Football is not copy and paste, everyone is different. That is what makes my job so fascinating.\u2019<\/p>\n<h3>IT&#8217;S ALL KICKING OFF!\u00a0<\/h3>\n<p><span><span>It&#8217;s All Kicking Off is an exciting new podcast from Mail Sport that promises a different take on Premier League football.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span><span>It is available on MailOnline, Mail+, YouTube, Apple Music and Spotify.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n<p>Your browser does not support iframes.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/i.dailymail.co.uk\/i\/pix\/2017\/08\/02\/636x90_facebook_ad_sport.png\" width=\"636\" height=\"90\"><br \/>\nSource: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/sport\/football\/article-12605993\/Manchester-City-boss-Pep-Guardiola-sure-protege-Mikel-Arteta-biggest-rival-title-claims-best-dresser.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Read Full Article<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is sure his protege Mikel Arteta will be his biggest rival for title &#8230; but<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":290390,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v21.8 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Pep Guardiola is sure mikel Arteta will be his biggest rival for title - Sports Love Me<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/sportsloveme.com\/soccer\/pep-guardiola-is-sure-mikel-arteta-will-be-his-biggest-rival-for-title\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Pep Guardiola is sure mikel Arteta will be his biggest rival for title - Sports Love Me\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is sure his protege Mikel Arteta will be his biggest rival for title &#8230; 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