Pep Guardiola has been speaking to the media about Manchester City and their rise to success, where he made an interesting comment about Arsenal.
What’s the story?
Well, Guardiola was keen to defend his side against those who claim they paid their way to winning silverware.
The Spaniard has spent over £1bn on signings since replacing Manuel Pellegrini in 2016, winning three Premier League titles.
When defending the Citizens, Guardiola put emphasis on Arsenal being a giant of English football, over Liverpool and Manchester United.
As quoted by the BBC, the 51-year-old said: “I know for the elite clubs, like Liverpool, Man United and especially Arsenal, it is uncomfortable (for Man City) being here, but they have to understand we deserve to be here.”
Now, his use of the word “especially” is very interesting.
By the looks of it, Guardiola clearly rates the Gunners highly, and sees them as one of Europe’s elite clubs.
Hopefully, he isn’t just saying that because his pal Mikel Arteta is in charge.
Arsenal must prove Pep Guardiola right
Clearly, Arsenal are still viewed as a giant of the game by some of the sport’s leading figures, although the Gunners have to back up these views by returning to the Champions League.
As of now, much of the allure about Arsenal comes from what they’ve achieved in the past, when the likes of Thierry Henry was capturing the hearts of supporters all over the globe.
Now, it’s up to Arteta, and gems like Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli, to put the Gunners back on the European stage and challenging for titles.
Arsenal are too big a club to not be in the Champions League – it should be the bare minimum for the north Londoners, to say the least.
It’s time to stop living in the past.
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