AT LAST A MEETING OF EQUALS

HE once stood by his side as a trusted right-hand man.

But last night in the Manchester rain Mikel Arteta took his place alongside Pep Guardiola as an equal (above).

The one-time City lieutenant is now Arsenal’s master and commander, a Premier League manager in his own right. The significance of this moment would not have been lost on Arteta, who is ambitious to make a name for himself as a manager.

He wants to step out of the massive shadow cast by his fellow Spaniard and carve out his own career as a successful coach. Yet while Arteta wants to do things his way, he has clearly inherited some of Guardiola’s values.

Like his former mentor, he believes passionately in possession football. He also likes his fullbacks to attack and overload the midfield, another

Guardiola tactic.

Arteta can organise a defence, as evidenced by Arsenal’s five clean sheets from their seven games before the shutdown.

And early on last night they frustrated City, despite the disruption to his game-plan caused by the loss of Granit Xhaka and Pablo Mari. But in attack they looked toothless, with Pierre-emerick Aubameyang (taking the knee, above) starved of service.

Arteta is no Pep mini-me and, unlike Guardiola, he is prepared to be outspoken.

He has not returned to Arsenal to make up the numbers in the Premier League and, on the eve of his return to the Etihad, he challenged the Arsenal hierarchy to splash the cash in the transfer market.

Arsenal face missing out on Champions League football for a fourth successive season and Arteta knows the gap between them and the likes of Manchester City will only increase if they stand still.

Arteta has the talent to succeed at Arsenal – he just needs to be given the tools.