Mikel Arteta has revealed his relationship with Pep Guardiola remains intact despite putting Manchester City to the sword 10 days ago.
Arsenal earned their first Premier League win against the champions in 12 attempts when Gabriel Martinelli fired home a dramatic late winner. Combined with the Community Shield triumph in August, the Gunners will have new-found belief they can hang with City after years of disappointment.
The win could also provide a mental edge in the title race as Arsenal are aiming to correct the wrong from last season. Arteta’s men surrendered an eight-point lead at the top of the table, allowing City to clinch their third consecutive title.
Honing his skills under Guardiola was Arteta’s only experience of a title run-in before last season. The Spanish duo worked together for three-and-a-half years, with the Gunners boss serving as assistant for two Premier League titles, two FA Cups and two League Cups.
Speaking following Arteta’s appointment, Guardiola predicted his protege would one day compete for the league. He said: «In the early future, they will be real contenders to fight for the titles. Most of the time (when Arteta and I worked together) we made decisions together and I took decisions with the influence of Mikel.”
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Fast forward to the present and the apprentice has gained his first win over the master in the Premier League. While tensions between the two sides spilled over at full-time, Arteta revealed Guardiola was gracious in defeat.
“Yeah, I talked with him (Guardiola) after the game,” he told the Men In Blazers
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