Shortly after Pep Guardiola watched his Manchester City side consign Arsenal to their worst start in 67 years, the City boss, almost apologetically, threw his weight behind Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners manager was already put on the Emirates ropes by consecutive 2-0 Premier League defeats away to Brentford and at home to fierce rivals Chelsea. While he and his beleaguered Arsenal side were still reeling from those losses, Guardiola watched his reigning Premier League champions smash five goals past Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium.
Arteta’s tenability waned with every ruthless City goal and the Spaniard looked like he had been beaten black and blue on the blue side of Manchester. But when Arteta was at his lowest, Guardiola leapt to his former assistant manager’s aid like he was talking to the Arsenal board himself.
“All I can say is we worked two or three years together,” Guardiola passionately said in defence of Arteta. “What I learned from him is that he’s a good manager. The character, the personality, leading.
“He’s incredibly loved by all of us. We were sad when he left and sometimes people expect or want results immediately.
“The squad today is not the team like he dreamed because they have six, seven, eight injured. Important players, really important players, like Ben White, Thomas Partey.
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“He cannot use the players he needs to do it. All the managers need the squad, depth of the squad. All our players except Kevin (de Bruyne) and Phil (Foden), they are completely fit.
“I absolutely am a big fan of him, and I’m pretty sure if they trust him, they are going to do a good job at Arsenal.” Compliments do not come much higher than from those who are regarded as one of the greatest managers in football history.
Incredibly, exactly how Guardiola predicted, Arteta has swung the Arsenal ship around and put it on course for Champions League football. Their 1-0 away victory against Aston Villa put the Gunners’ four points clear of fifth placed Tottenham Hotspur going into the international break.
This deficit could even stretch to seven points if they are victorious in the game in hand they hold over Antonio Conte’s side. Arsenal entered the final international break of the campaign having won five of their last six Premier League matches, a remarkable run bettered only by Chelsea and City’s closest challengers Liverpool.
Arsenal have played with a real swagger and confidence and results have been as free-flowing and consistent as their playing style. Bukayo Saka, Ben White, Emile Smith-Rowe, and Aaron Ramsdale’s call-ups to the recent England squad are also testament to the excellent work Arteta has been doing with north London.
After three matches, Tottenham were at the top of the Premier League with nine points out of nine while the Gunners were propping up the entire division at rock bottom – Arsenal have their noses ahead of their fiercest rivals.
And the Gunners’ hierarchy deserve praise for sticking with the Arteta when things looked as if they could not get much worse. Their patience may be rewarded with Champions League football for the first time since 2017.
