The friendship between Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola and Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta might face tension as their Premier League teams compete for the title more fiercely in recent days.
Arteta is confident that their relationship will remain strong.
However, Guardiola may be feeling a bit annoyed.
Some City players criticized Arsenal’s tactics and their use of what’s known as “dark arts” after their intense 2-2 draw last weekend.
In response, Arteta made a somewhat mysterious comment, saying he has “all the information” about City from his time as Guardiola’s assistant from 2016 to 2019. “So I know, believe me,” Arteta added.
Guardiola found these comments vague and wondered if Arteta was hinting at the off-field issues City is facing, as the club is dealing with 115 charges related to financial regulations.
“Next time he has to be more clear about what he means,” Guardiola said about Arteta. “He said he was here for four years and we know exactly what happened here.
“It could be related to the current situation with the 115 charges, maybe he knows something about that, or maybe he just has something else in mind. I don’t know. I hope that next time, as a good friend, he can clarify what he meant when he said he was here and ‘I know what’s happening here.’”
Guardiola spoke during a news conference while Arteta was holding one at Arsenal’s training ground.
