Ilkay Gundogan believes Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola are ‘the two best coaches’ in the Premier League. He also sees similarities between the Arsenal and Manchester City bosses.
The German has worked with both, Arteta and Guardiola, at the Etihad Stadium. He joined Manchester City from Borussia Dortmund for £21m as Guardiola’s first signing in charge in June 2016. Arteta also joined as an assistant coach upon retiring as the captain of Arsenal.
Manchester City went on to win two Premier League titles before Arteta re-joined Arsenal as head coach to replace Unai Emery in December 2019. The Gunners later promoted the 40-year-old to the role of first-team manager in September 2020 after the club won the FA Cup.
Now, Arteta has his Arsenal side going toe-to-toe with Guardiola’s Manchester City for the Premier League title. The Gunners sit atop the table by five points and with a game in hand on the Citizens after 20 matches. They have also won a division-high 16 games this season.
Only the Citizens (53) in 21 fixtures, meanwhile, have scored more goals than the Gunners (45) so far this term. While just Newcastle United (12 in 12) have conceded fewer than the north London club (17). The Etihad Stadium natives have let in 21 for the third-best record.
Gundogan believes Arsenal’s Arteta and Man City’s Guardiola are the ‘best’
Arteta left a glowing impression on Gundogan during the Arsenal boss’ time in Guardiola’s backroom staff at Manchester City. But the German sees winning at Emirates Stadium next Wednesday as a ‘responsibility’. The Gunners host to the Citizens in a top-of-the-tree clash.
Gundogan has also now told Sky Germany ‘no’ when asked if Arteta turning Arsenal into a stable side has surprised him following their time together at Manchester City. He added:
“They have a coach who I respect and know well from his time with us. There are a lot of similarities with Pep. Their approach is almost identical to ours and if you look at their first-team, it’s clear that on a good day they can compete with any opponent.
“A few weeks ago we beat them in the FA Cup and felt how uncomfortable they are to play against. If they have the ball, they can punish other teams. Our responsibility is to get three points against Aston Villa and then go to London and beat Arsenal.
“You just have to look at the consistency with which both teams perform at the highest level. Arsenal play excellent football, have beaten many great teams. And, of course, Pep knows exactly what to expect. This is where the two best coaches in the league meet.”
Arsenal host Brentford on Saturday while Manchester City host Aston Villa on Sunday then visit the Emirates next Wednesday. It is the first Premier League meeting between the title-contending sides this term. The Citizens won 1-0 in the FA Cup fourth round on January 27.
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