Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has suggested that Arsenal trust Mikel Arteta amid rumours that he could be replaced at the Emirates Stadium. The Spaniard, who left the Etihad Stadium in 2019 to take the reins in north London, has come under considerable pressure in recent weeks after a season that saw Arsenal finish outside of the European places and followed by the Gunners’ poor start to the 2021/22 Premier League campaign. Guardiola, though, has leapt to the defence of his former colleague and insisted that the former midfielder retains the trust of the club despite the indifferent start to the campaign. Talking in his pre-match press conference,
Pep Guardiola said: “Two games. They have played two games, not 20 or 50. Sometimes I think the managers are crazy to do the job. They [Arsenal] trust a lot in Mikel [Arteta] because they spent money to reinforce the team. Why we don’t give more time to build teams, the people who want success immediately, anything is for granted, you need time. The opinion we have here, we know what it is.”
It appears unlikely that Arteta’s fortunes will improve under his former mentor this weekend. In the five matches that the two have come together since the 39-year-old was appointed at the Emirates Stadium, Arteta has lost four of those games. However, he was victorious against Guardiola in the 2019/20 FA Cup semi-finals, Arsenal eventually going on to lift the trophy against Chelsea.
