Arsenal’s Mikel Arteta comes up against his mentor tomorrow night.
Pep Guardiola has insisted that Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta hasn’t been in touch with him for advice.
It’s a case of master versus the apprentice at the Etihad tomorrow night as Arteta returns for the first time since joining Arsenal in December.
The Spaniard had been Guardiola’s assistant at Manchester City for a few years, before leaving to take the role as Unai Emery’s successor with the Gunners.
Guardiola and Arteta enjoyed a close working relationship during their time with the reigning Premier League champions.
And although the City boss did reveal that Arteta has been in touch, he is adamant that the nature of their conversation wasn’t related to the Arsenal head coach seeking help.
Guardiola said, when asked if Arteta had sought advice since leaving: “Absolutely not. He is an adult and more than prepared. It’s everything [they talk about], friends and family, his first days [at Arsenal].”
Arteta is doing a very decent job at the Emirates since taking the full-time role off Freddie Ljungberg a few months ago.
The 37-year-old, a midfielder at Arsenal from 2011 until 2015 under Arsene Wenger, has still only lost one Premier League game – a 2-1 defeat by Chelsea.
There’s a lot of draws in there, but for the most part he has turned them into a consistent, winning team and it’s fascinating to see how tomorrow night goes.
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