I admire Mikel for having the courage of his convictions

MIKEL ARTETA would have learned plenty from Pep Guardiola at Manchester City but nothing more important than having the courage of your convictions. I was shocked when he signed David Raya last summer because I’d been impressed by Aaron Ramsdale who clearly has many attributes for a goalkeeper, including organisation and leadership.

Arteta backed himself to make the tough decision as Guardiola had once done by ditching England No1 Joe Hart at City.

I admire it in many ways because if you’re a manager and believe there’s a player who can improve your team, it’s a big thing to trust your judgement when it won’t sit well with everybody.

There was a backlash and even now there will still be some Arsenal supporters who may prefer Ramsdale. But Arteta was strong enough to make his choice and Raya’s penalty shootout heroics against Porto were probably the final vindication, with the Gunners also having the best defensive record in the Premier League.

I’ve seen it suggested Arteta went for Raya because he’s superior to Ramsdale with his feet but I think there was broader reasoning than that. For one thing, Ramsdale is technically good himself despite the recent error against Brentford.

I speak to goalkeepers who think Raya is probably a slightly more physical and dominant presence in commanding his penalty area. He’s brave and also clearly good with his feet. But the main difference is Raya has a calming influence on the team.

The only problem Arteta gave himself was earlier in the season when he claimed they were both No1s. The majority of people in the game suspected that wasn’t the case. Raya has been one of the reasons Arsenal go into this pivotal top of the table clash. Alas for Arteta, his old boss Pep is standing in the way to the title.

Most players would have loved to work under Guardiola. I certainly would. Even as a young player, I enjoyed the tactical side of the game and regularly had questions for my coaches, such as Steve Holland, to learn more.

I also responded to managers who would give me a kick up the backside and Pep seems to be that type rather than a pat-on-the-back kind of guy. He demands the best and the consistency he gets from his players over months and years is an unbelievable skill.

His City team are always evolving to find different ways to dominate the ball and find a weakness in the opposition.

I liked his recent passionate conversation with Kevin de Bruyne after he took the player off against Liverpool. He might not have spoken like that with a new signing but he and Kevin know each other so well. Their exchange was real. It didn’t cross the line of discipline and actually nipped the situation in the bud.

Guardiola has to be in the conversation with Alex Ferguson as the greatest ever. His biggest legacy is the influence he’s had on the English game from top to bottom. In the lower leagues, more clubs are giving younger coaches a chance to develop players and fans want to be entertained. That’s been triggered by Guardiola.

It’s no surprise many coaches who have worked in the City group are doing well as managers including Enzo Maresca at Leicester and Liam Manning with Bristol City.

Nobody has taken it on board more than Arteta and he’s now a serious rival to his mentor.

Today’s game is big for Arsenal. With fixtures away to Brighton, Tottenham and Manchester United to come, they’ll be the clear outsiders should they leave the Etihad empty-handed. Get a result however and they will truly believe.

Most teams would fret over injury doubts to players with the quality of Kyle Walker and John Stones. It just doesn’t seem to bother Guardiola’s team though. They are going for a fourth league title in a row despite having Erling Haaland and De Bruyne out for long periods.

Even if they miss their two England international defenders, you wouldn’t consider the likes of Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol as sub-standard. All are gifted players with plenty of bigmatch experience. If Walker doesn’t make it, Manuel Akanji or Rico Lewis could come in at right back without letting anyone down.