Pep Guardiola is furious with Mikel Arteta over comments the Arsenal manager made in the wake of last Sunday’s
spiky draw at Manchester City and feels let down by his former assistant.
Those views are understood to be widely shared at City, where Arteta coached from 2016-19. Arteta said on Tuesday he had “all the information” about his former club, prompting Guardiola to respond on Friday that his fellow Spaniard should leave the “clouds” and come clean about what he meant.
Although Guardiola chose his words carefully at his press conference, he is privately fuming at the remarks from someone he long considered a friend. He expected more from Arteta, feeling he mentored him at City and went above and beyond in urging the club to let him take the
Arsenal job even though the approach came partway through a season and from a direct rival.
Arteta spoke of his love, respect and admiration for Guardiola and said their relationship had not been affected but it is clear that view is not shared by his former boss. The comments from Arteta that prompted the fracture came in response to a question about City players’ complaints regarding Arsenal’s
“dark arts” tactics. “I have been there before, I was there for four years,” he said. “I have all the information. So I know. Believe me.”
The remarks were put to Guardiola, who was asked whether he regarded it as a betrayal. “Next time, Mikel has to be more clear,” he said. “He has to be more clear exactly: what does it mean? He said he was here for four years and: ‘We know exactly what happened here.’ Because it can be related in all the process now with 155 [130] charges; maybe it’s about that. He knows information about that maybe … I don’t know, because really, next time, I have to see more clearly exactly what happened.”