THE BEST OF ENEMIES Arteta reveals that he and former boss Pep’s greatest supporters are in fact..each other!
PEP: TITLE RACE IS FAR FROM OVER.. LIVERPOOL COLLAPSED & IT COULD HAPPEN TO US AS WELL
PEP GUARDIOLA says Liverpool’s implosion is a warning to Manchester City that the title race is far from over.
Guardiola’s rampant City side have opened up a 10point lead at the top of the table after winning their last 12 Premier League games.
The Blues have won their last 17 games in all competitions, part of a formidable 24match unbeaten run going back to November 25.
Carlo Ancelotti, whose Everton side were the latest to be brushed aside by the City juggernaut in midweek, said it was “almost impossible” to beat Guardiola’s side.
Despite their status as odds-on title favourites, Guardiola claimed it is too early to declare City champions, citing Liverpool’s demise to validate his caution.
“I appreciate it, but
I don’t agree with him,” said Guardiola when asked about Ancelotti’s remark.
“I love Carlo, he’s an inspiration for me, but I don’t agree with him.
“How many points clear of Manchester United and Leicester are we? Ten. How many are there left to play for? 42.
“Ten days before we played at Everton, we played at Anfield and were seven points in front of Liverpool. If we’d lost, it would have been four. Now it’s 16, but in 10 days everything changed. So we have to focus on the next game and not listen to what people say. It’s still not spring. You win titles in summer.”
City tomorrow travel to Arsenal, who they beat 4-1 in the Carabao Cup semi-finals the last time they met in
December, with Guardiola’s former No.2 Mikel Arteta having struggled in his first full season in charge.
Despite Arsenal’s inconsistency this season, Guardiola said his friend and former assistant at City is the right man to take the Gunners forward.
“He doesn’t need help,” said Guardiola. “Of course he’s an important person in my life. But I didn’t inspire him.
“What
Mikel knows, he knows for himself. What he has done, he takes all the credit himself and with his backroom staff.
“All I can say is that the last month or two has shown me that all managers need time.
“What I’ve seen in the last month or two is that, every game Arsenal have played, they’ve played better than the opponent. That’s why they’ll be a real contender for titles.”
MIKEL ARTETA has revealed how he and Pep Guardiola leaned on each other for support during low points this season.
Guardiola faced fierce criticism after Manchester City’s slow start to the season, while Arteta faced calls for him to be sacked as Arsenal boss before Christmas.
But Arteta, whose family also received online threats earlier this term, claims his bond with Guardiola has helped both men through some troubled times.
Ahead of tomorrow’s clash between the teams, Arteta said: “We have been in contact a lot since I have been here in good and bad moments.
“Also when he had some difficult moments and now he is having great moments but the relationship does not change. Always we have some advice and support.
“It is good for any moment in your career because you need people as much as possible that have had these situations.
“Then the advice is much more concrete and useful. Does that apply on and off the pitch? Absolutely.”
Guardiola did not want Arteta to leave City when he quit as No.2 at the Etihad to take the Arsenal job in December 2019.
But the Spaniard refused to stand in his countryman’s way, and the pair have remained close ever since.
Arteta also claims City’s record-breaking 17match winning run has been five years in the making.
He believes longterm planning at his old club has allowed them to shrug off the loss of big stars like Sergio Aguero and Kevin De Bruyne to injury.
City also said goodbye to David Silva, who signed for Real Sociedad in August.
But the emergence of Phil Foden and Ilkay Gundogan has more than softened the blow.
Arteta said: “Well, that hasn’t happened overnight, it has been built over the past five years.
“Recruit really well, recruit players that can take the next challenge when someone starts to get in the final stage of their career and that squad evolution has been done in a really nice way.
“Credit to everyone who makes the decisions there.
“They have kept the vision of what was needed straight away and what would be needed two or three years in the future.”