Shots have been fired between Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola. (Photo by Robbie Jay Barratt - AMA/Getty Images)

Every word Arteta said about Guardiola and dark arts as war of words breaks out with Man City

football.londonlooks back on what Arteta has had to say about the Manchester City boss after he clapped back at press conference comments

27 Sep 2024, 21:30 by Kaya Kaynak · football.london

Pep Guardiola has called for clarity from Mikel Arteta after the Spaniard's claims that he knows all about Manchester City following his four-year stint there as a coach. The City boss had been complimentary about Arteta in midweek and dismissed any suggestion that Arsenal had targeted Rodri deliberately in their 2-2 draw at the Etihad last weekend.

However, since then Arteta was asked for a response to critical comments from the likes Bernardo Silva and Manuel Akanji about Arsenal's use of the 'dark arts' during last Sunday's match. He responded in cryptic fashion by saying: "I was there for four years. I have all the information. So I know. Believe me.”

This was a statement that Guardiola appeared to take issue with in his press conference ahead of City's clash with Newcastle. "Next time he has to be more clear exactly what does it mean," the former Barcelona boss said. "He said he was here four years and we know exactly what happened here, because it can be related in all the process now with 155 charges, maybe it's about that, he knows information about that maybe. Or maybe he had something like, I don't know, because really, next time I have to see more clearly exactly what happened.

"Next time, like a good relation I have with him, hopefully this question has been asked. He can answer exactly what does it mean when he said he was here and I know what's happening here, and instead of [speculation hanging] in the clouds to be more precise."

Later on in his press conference Guardiola was asked about Erling Haaland's antics during the match in which he collided with Thomas Partey late on, and told Arteta to "be humble" after the full time whistle. While appearing to play down any issues, Guardiola also issued something of a rallying cry to his team and supporters.

"I would say that sometimes the emotions are so there, when you are, you know..." he said. "Gabriel said it perfectly after the match: 'This is a war, we have here to provoke the opponent, to push them', and at the end, what can you do? So, we have to, okay, you provoke me, okay, I'm there.

"You want a war? Now we war. So, what do I have to do? And after the motion, try the motion. I'm pretty sure he's not proud, but listen. The type of challenge that Arsenal challenges, I understand it."

With such strong comments in mind football.london has put together a compilation of everything Arteta has said on the issues since last Sunday's 2-2 at the Etihad. It can be read below.

Post-Manchester City, Sunday, 22nd September

Is a yellow card for Trossard for kicking the ball away not fair?

I prefer not to comment. You analyse the situation and how long it takes.

Do you feel you're not allowed to have an opinion?

I have if I want to. Today I don't want to.

Was the 99 minutes not a consequence of your team time wasting?

If I'm not commenting on the first part [the yellow] you can understand I won't comment on the second. It's a consequence, one of the other.

Can you explain that again?

If I haven't made a comment about the first action I'm not going to make a comment about the consequence to acting in a certain way.

Pre-Bolton, Tuesday, 24th September

What did you make of Haaland’s post match comments to you?

It’s part of football, part of sport. After the game, all that goes away and we move on. That’s it.

Are you surprised by the reaction to your style of play in the game?

Well, we had to play the game that we had to play. For the first 10- 15 minutes, we couldn’t do it with 11 vs 11. Then we got much better. Then we were thrown in a very different context and did what every team does. They played 30 seconds with 10 men. Look what they did for 30 seconds. It’s normal what they did. We had to do it in a different way.

We learnt from the past. Unfortunately we’ve been in the same situation a few times. We were in that same situation with Granit [Xhaka] after 38 minutes and we lost 5-0. We’d better learn. If not I would be thick, very thick.

Seems like, as much as team want to play attractive football, they actually enjoy the fight? Noticed that?

It is not something that we notice, it is something that we had to instil in them - because you cannot play without that level of concentration, focus and discipline for that long, thrown into that context, if you don’t love it. Somehow you have to love. If not, you start to miss bits and spaces and the passes start to break and you get punished.

We often talk about your influences in football, you played during Jose Mourinho’s dominant Chelsea era, did he influence you?

More than influence, I think you learn a lot from other top coaches and you just try to understand why they have been successful, what really touches that team that makes it really special and very consistent - especially to win at this level. At this level, and with the amount of games we are playing, you might have an idea, you think the game can go in that direction, but if goes in a different direction, do you have the ability to adapt and be happy now playing that game? Because that is the level we are in.

Dark arts. Is that language fair?

I don’t know. It’s opinions and that’s it. But as I mentioned before I think other things will be factors and that’s it. We will use the facts.

What are the other factors?

Well, if a player is faking something that means he will carry on and be involved in the squad and play.

Was becoming more streetwise an aim when you first took charge because of the perception of Arsenal before?

All managers want a team that is happy and able to compete in any context thrown at you. This is what we want to achieve as a team.

City players have been very critical about your team’s approach. What have you made of that?

No comment. I have been there before. I was there for four years.

What does that mean?

I have all the information. So I know. Believe me.

Does the criticism affect you? Or do you feel that it is only about winning, win at all costs?

For me, the thing is we play such a game and at the end the discussion is about those topics. [So…] We are not in a great direction because that means that we are pulling away things that normally are associated to them after games. So that’s it. It’s what I can do. I cannot do anything.

You said in February needed to teach players to be more streetwise ?

What day was this? If you don't tell me the exact day I cannot respond to your question.

It was February 23...

OK, it was in relation to Porto then.

You said it wasn't in Arsenal's DNA - players graduated in dark arts with honours now?

I said you have to prepare the team to any context and to be able to handle that situation.

You said you wanted it, why not talk about it now?

We are talking about different things. I was not talking about that at all.

How important is adaptability?

It has to be. If you ask me for example about the areas we had to defend, there are certain consequences, certain actions and sequences that take you to that position. Against City we had eight and we dealt with six of them really well. We want to spend more time [attacking] but sometimes the opponent forces you to do that and sometimes you force yourself to do that because you’re not that good in other aspects to be in those areas. If you’re there, you better be as good as you are when you are higher up the pitch. If not, you become very vulnerable. I don’t want a team that is vulnerable.

Are you not married to philosophy?

What won’t change is my will and what game I want and how I want to play it. But if I can’t because we’re not good enough or the opponent forces you to do it or because the circumstances or you’re outnumbered or whatever happens. Then you have to be really good at that as well for sure.

Pre-Leicester, Friday, 27th September

Pep said there was no damage your relationship after the City match. How can you keep that relationship going?

First of all, because I love him, I respect him, I admire him and I admire his team and everything that he does. This is sport. One thing is our profession another is our personal relationship. If our relationship was damaged because one draws and the other one wins or the amount of times that they’ve beaten us, I would not talk to him anymore. So that’s not our relationship, especially the relationship that I consider both of us have. In sport it will never get in my way a personal relationship. That’s for sure.

Is it hard to do it with accusations flying around?

It depends. If those accusations affect you it’s because maybe they’re true. If they don’t and you know and you do what you believe is right and you show your integrity it doesn’t have to be. There are opinions and if you don’t like opinions then you shouldn’t be sitting in the position that I am. It’s quite simple. Don’t take it personal. It’s part of our job. The things that you really care about make sure you handle them in the right way. That relationship I really care about. The same with a lot of people in that staff and players that I spent really important years of my life with.

Does it make it harder that you were there before and now you’re here?

No I think it makes it easier because it helps you to know people in different situations. When you get to know those people in the good and the bad, when things go your way, and they don’t go your way, then you understand them much better. For me it’s not a surprise and I’m very comfortable with that.

Are you amazed your team are being criticised given results?

I don’t know but honestly it’s part of what we do, because I don’t want to be on YouTube because we’ve been so silly. I want to be on YouTube because we’ve done the right thing in May, and for the right reasons and lifting what we want to lift and achieve, so in order to do that we have to be very efficient in what we do.

So I didn’t predict to play 66 minutes with 10 men, and we had to do that, and we have to accept that. And sometimes the opponent is better at doing something in the game — that doesn’t mean they are playing better, they are being better at doing a specific thing inside the game. We are interested in doing all the things that can help us to win the game.

Is there an agenda against the club? Lots of criticism?

But I heard a lot of positive things, so this is criticism… is it negative or positive criticism?

It's negative...

Great. So we get negative criticism — where we are, after what we’ve been through in the last three games… That tells you the expectations. So we have to raise the level, that’s it.

Everyone used to accuse Arsenal of being too soft… now it’s the opposite. The debate has flipped...

That is not a debate. That is a war you cannot win, no? On this side, ‘I don’t like it’. On this side, ‘I don’t like it.’ So where do I go? Don’t get involved in it. It doesn’t make any sense. It is very clear, you look from outside and you are not going to get involved here.

Bother you that people talk about style as a good thing, or a bad thing?

I want to win, the way we prepare the games and the way we want to play, for sure. In our way. But understanding the context. I want to wear flip flops, shorts and a t-shirt, but with this weather? I think I would be very silly to do that. ‘I am very brave’ — yeah but tomorrow you are sick.

This rivalry with City is so intense – enjoying that it has got to this level? When you first joined Arsenal were miles off from competing against them?

I prefer this reaction much more than someone clapping my back after the game and saying: ‘Well done, you guys are in the right direction’. This is why I do what I do. This is an emotion I cannot control but I have to be as competitive as possible, the reaction of someone else is different

Relationship with Pep – any danger of this rivalry coming between that?

Well, they have beat us… they won the last four Premier League titles and our relationship continues to be the same, so what has to change for that relationship to be over?

If you beat him?

I don’t think that [the relationship being affected] will happen.

Do you need a nasty streak to win titles?

You have to control and dominate every scenario if you want to compete at the level that we are aiming for and the opposition that we have. The best in the world are doing almost everything in football. That’s the level and that’s what we have to try to do.

Have you spoken to the team about being tougher? You're a much bigger side now…

That’s just the physical aspect of individuals. I think it’s more related to the mentality, the understanding and maturity. And how people confront conflict and challenges in different situations.

Join the football.london Arsenal WhatsApp channel

Join our Arsenal WhatsApp channel and get all the latest breaking news, opinion, podcasts and in-depth stories from football.london's dedicated Arsenal writers straight to your phone!

By following this free service you will be the first to know the news from the Emirates Stadium as it happens, when it happens.

To join our dedicated Arsenal channel, all you have to do is click this link and you can join thousands of others following our Gunners coverage!

If you're curious, you can check out our privacy policy here.