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mikel arteta Says he loves, respects and admires pep guardiola An obvious move to defuse the growing tension with his one-time mentor.
Guardiola told Arteta armory Prepare for battle amid the fallout from last weekend’s heated draw with Manchester City and the Gunners responded with a last-gasp 4-2 win leicester In the Emirates.
Speaking on the eve of Saturday’s match, Guardiola also urged his former City colleague to explain why he claimed he had “all the information” about the champions after his four-year stint there.
Addressing Guardiola’s comments, Arteta said: “I can repeat it very clearly. I like pep. I admire him. And I’ve been a fan since I was 10 years old.
“I respect him deeply. I am very grateful for everything he has done for me and is still doing for me. I consider him a friend.
“When I say ‘I know him’, it means I know how hard he works. I’ve never seen anyone who has worked as hard to win consistently as Pep and the coaches and everyone at that football club. And the reason they’re there is because they maintain that hunger and that’s what I’ve learned.
“I cannot be more clear than this. I can repeat it if you want. But if someone wants to harm our relationship then it is not in my hands. The feeling runs deep, he knows it and the staff knows it.
,game It should be about the will to win. They have it, I have it, we definitely have it. They have incredible accomplishments because they have that mentality. Hope that’s clear.”
I like pep. I admire him. And I’ve been a fan since I was 10 years old. I respect him deeply.
mikel arteta
Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard appear to have led Arsenal to a comfortable win against the Foxes.
But James Justin’s deflected header and Mads Hermansson inspired the Leicester goal with a superb volley after the interval to shake up the hosts, who recorded a total of 36 shots.
However, Trossard’s volley from a corner in the fourth minute of extra time fell to Wilfried Ndidi, before Kai Havertz scored the fourth five minutes later as Arsenal joined City on 14 points from six matches.
Speaking after what could be a crucial game in Arsenal’s quest for glory, Arteta said: “It was very emotional and more emotional than we wanted, but I was impressed by the way we played and dominated the game. Really happy.
“After 2-0, the result should have been bigger, but this is the Premier League, the quality of the opponent and they scored two goals, but I’m happy with how we dealt with it. Emotionally we were very much in control. We fully deserved to win the match.”
Arsenal’s dramatic late win left Leicester on just three points from 18 and manager Steve Cooper, who filed a case to protest when he called for a foul on Jamie Vardy in the preparation for Arsenal’s first goal, said. Riccardo Calafiori should have been shown a second yellow. Referee Samuel Barrot with 20 minutes left.
“We were disappointed that Vardy was not fouled and why he didn’t send the Arsenal left-back off is beyond belief,” Cooper said.
“I’m trying not to let bad refereeing decisions make headlines because I want to take responsibility, but you have to give your opinion and we thought those were two bad decisions.”