Mikel Arteta reveals he has NOT spoken to Guardiola since February
Mikel Arteta reveals he has NOT spoken to Pep Guardiola since their 3-1 loss to Manchester City in February as the Arsenal boss prepares to face his former mentor in pivotal title clash at the Etihad
- Mikel Arteta has revealed he has not spoken to Pep Guardiola since February
- The Arsenal boss faces his most crucial game against Man City this week
- Arteta was a close friend of Guardiola when the pair worked together at City
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed he has not spoken to his former mentor Pep Guardiola since February – when Manchester City beat his side 3-1.
The Gunners face their biggest game of their season on Wednesday night as they travel to the Etihad to face title rivals City, hoping to maintain their five point lead over the Sky Blues.
Guardiola’s men are enjoying an incredible run of form and will provide stern opposition having romped to 11 wins in 12 games as they aim to complete a treble-winning season.
City know they can make a serious step towards winning the title if they can secure three points against the Gunners as they have two games in hand over their rivals.
Arteta will have to outfox his old friend and former colleague Guardiola at his old employers this week, though he suggested the pair are no longer on speaking terms after being quizzed on when they had last spoken.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has revealed he has not spoken to Pep Guardiola since February
Arteta was Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City and the pair shared a close relationship
‘Exact date? Probably the last time we played,’ Arteta said, referring to their home loss to City on February 15 that saw Kevin de Bruyne, Jack Grealish and Erling Haaland all find the net after Bukayo Saka had levelled from the spot.
Arteta was then asked if Guardiola had been in touch with him this week in the build-up to the game, simply responding: ‘No.’
The Spaniard was Guardiola’s assistant manager for three years between 2016 and 2019 and studied the former Barcelona boss before getting his first shot at management with the Gunners after Unai Emery was sacked.
He has faced Guardiola nine times since taking charge – losing eight of them and winning one, which was an FA Cup semi-final victory in 2020.
Guardiola and Arteta last crossed paths when City beat his Arsenal side 3-1 on February 15
Arteta has been given a big blow ahead of the game with centre-back William Saliba set to miss the crucial game having not trained as he continues to struggle with a lower back injury.
Mail Sport revealed on Monday that Arsenal have concerns over Saliba’s injury amid serious ‘structural damage’ which could result in a long-term lay off if he plays again this season.
Arteta has confirmed Saliba will be absent from the Gunners next two matches against Man City and Chelsea, but would not be drawn on whether the Frenchman will feature again this season.
Key midfielder Granit Xhaka also remains a doubt after missing Arsenal’s 3-3 draw with Southampton on Friday.
‘There has not been real improvement on him [Saliba],’ Arteta said.
William Saliba will miss Arsenal’s key match against Manchester City on Wednesday night
‘It is another week that has gone by and he has not been able to train with the team.
‘At the moment we don’t have him. The [Chelsea] game will come too close.
‘Granit has been out, hopefully he will be able to train today. He is still a doubt.’
Saliba, 22, has missed Arsenal’s past five matches after hurting his back in last month’s Europa League defeat by Sporting.
Arsenal have conceded nine goals in those matches, with Arteta’s side drawing at Liverpool and West Ham despite taking 2-0 leads.
Source: Read Full Article