‘Be more clear’ - Pep Guardiola fires back at Mikel Arteta in fresh Manchester City & Arsenal rivalry twist
Despite their usually warm relationship, both managers have taken subtle swipes at each other in the wake of Manchester City’s draw against Arsenal.
Pep Guardiola has said Mikel Arteta should be ‘more clear’ with his words after the Arsenal boss seemed to imply he knows Manchester City’s secrets earlier this week.
The burgeoning rivalry between both clubs has certainly intensified in the last seven days after a feisty affair between the two sides at the Etihad on Sunday, which culminated in several altercations between the players and coaching staff.
Erling Haaland was filmed sarcastically telling Arteta to ‘stay humble’ at the full-time whistle, while John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Bernardo Silva all criticised Arsenal and their approach to the game in the aftermath of Sunday’s fixture.
In response to suggestions that Arsenal availed of football’s ‘dark arts’ during the game, Arteta fired back on Tuesday and seemed to suggest he is aware of sensitive City information. “I was there for four years,” he said. “I have all the information. So I know. Believe me.”
It was a comment that clearly irked Guardiola, who has always enjoyed a warm relationship with his former assistant. But he warned his Arteta to be careful with words and even claimed some fans may have read into Arteta’s comments as him having knowledge relating to City’s ongoing charges from the Premier League.
“Next time he has to be more clear exactly what does it mean,” said the City boss on Friday when pressed on Arteta’s inference. “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 115 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.”
When it was suggested to Guardiola in the pre-match press conference that Arteta had purposefully made his comments ambiguous, he responded: “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 being in the clouds to be more precise.”