Arsenal news: Mikel Arteta makes Pep Guardiola admission as Man City row rumbles on
David Raya is a major doubt for Arsenal's Premier League game against Leicester City on Saturday afternoon with Mikel Arteta still fielding questions about last weekend's draw against Manchester City
by Alan Smith · The MirrorArsenal return to Premier League action when Leicester City visit the Emirates but the fall out from last week's draw with Manchester City continues to rumble on.
And Mikel Arteta has claimed that the discussion around the Gunners' newfound hard-edge is one he cannot win because there will always be critics. Not Pep Guardiola, mind, because Arteta insists their relationship will not be affected by the red hot rivalry between their clubs.
Meanwhile, David Raya is facing a losing battle to be fit for today's meeting with the Foxes. He missed out on their midweek Carabao Cup triumph over Bolton with 16-year-old rookie Jack Porter deputising for the Spaniard.
Here are the big tales from in and around Arsenal to keep tabs on from the past 24 hours...
Arteta on war he cannot win
Mikel Arteta has claimed that Arsenal “cannot win” having transformed from soft-centred to one of the Premier League’s most streetwise teams.
Six days on from the fiery draw at Manchester City, in which several of the champions’ stars criticised Arsenal for their use of the “dark arts”, Arteta is eager to avoid the topic — because he will be criticised either way.
But the Gunners boss knows mixing their style up depending on the opposition is mandatory if they are to win the title and end his former employer’s dominance.
“That is a war you cannot win, no?” he said ahead of the visit of Leicester. “On this side, ‘I don’t like it’. On this side, ‘I don’t like it.’"
Pep relationship unchanged
Mikel Arteta may be tired of the dark arts talk but he has been energised by the increasingly spicy rivalry with Manchester City.
The Gunners boss, speaking ahead of Saturday's visit of Leicester City to the Emirates Stadium, believes that a bit of needle between rivals is much better than patting one another on the back in congratulation.
Yet he insists that his friendship with Pep Guardiola, whom he served as assistant for three and a half years, will not be destroyed by their battles.
“I love him, I respect him, I admire him and I admire his team and everything that he does,” Arteta said. “This is sport. One thing is our profession another is our personal relationship."
Raya concern
David Raya is a major doubt for today's game because of his thigh injury sustained last weekend.
His expected absence means Neto, a deadline day arrival from Bournemouth, will debut in goal. He was cup-tied in midweek as teenage rookie Jack Porter kept goal in the 5-1 win over Bolton Wanderers in the Carabao Cup.
“He has played in various countries, at the highest level in different roles,” Arteta said of the Brazilian. “He is someone we can throw in at any moment.”
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