Pep Guardiola has urged Mikel Arteta to put an end to the speculation surrounding Manchester City, as he confidently stated that City are prepared to face Arsenal’s challenge head-on, even referring to it as a ‘war.’
Tensions between the two clubs have intensified since their fiery encounter last Sunday. The aftermath saw Arsenal director Tim Lewis walk away without shaking hands with his City counterparts, signaling the strained relations. Arsenal, not fond of being labeled “masters of the dark arts,” were further criticized when City’s John Stones appeared to agree with that description in his post-match remarks.
Despite the growing friction, Guardiola remained cordial when discussing Arteta following City’s Carabao Cup victory over Watford. He shared that he had exchanged messages with his former assistant after the game, while denying the claim that Arsenal deliberately targeted Rodri. However, Arteta’s enigmatic comments—”I was there for four years. I have all the information. So I know. Believe me.”—did not sit well with Guardiola. He was particularly frustrated, given their history, with Guardiola having mentored Arteta at City and supported his transition to Arsenal, a move City could have blocked.
Guardiola responded sharply: “Next time he has to be more clear about what he means,” he remarked. “He said he was here for four years and knows what happened, but what exactly? Is he referring to the 155 charges against us? Does he have some inside knowledge about that? Or is it something else? I don’t know. Next time, I need him to be more precise.
“With the good relationship we have, I hope someone asks him this question directly. Instead of leaving things hanging in the air, I want him to clarify what he meant by ‘I know what happened here.’”
Guardiola also confirmed that Erling Haaland will be available for their clash against Newcastle, after briefly returning to Norway to attend the funeral of a close family friend. Haaland, who scored his 100th goal for City in the match against Arsenal, also made waves for his controversial behavior during that game. He threw the ball at Gabriel’s head after John Stones scored, knocked Thomas Partey over immediately after, and reportedly told Arteta to ‘stay humble’ while calling Gabriel Jesus a ‘f clown’ at the end of the match.
Despite these incidents, Haaland faced no disciplinary action. Arteta, when asked about the Norwegian striker’s conduct, chose not to dwell on it. Guardiola, on the other hand, admitted that Haaland might not be proud of his actions but defended his player’s response to Arsenal’s provocations.
“Sometimes emotions take over,” Guardiola said. “As Gabriel [Jesus] said after the match, ‘This is a war, and we have to provoke the opponent, to push them.’ So, what are we supposed to do? You provoke me, I react. If you want a war, then we have a war.”
He continued, “I’m sure Haaland isn’t exactly proud, but given the challenge Arsenal presented, I can understand his response.”
