Manchester City are one of the best teams in the world right now. The Premier League toppers beat second-placed Chelsea 1-0 to extend their run to 12 unbeaten games. Pep Guardiola’s men are runaway leaders and haven’t dropped points in the league since October. In his post-game conference, manager Pep Guardiola offered some high praise to Arsenal.
The Spaniard acknowledged his side’s 2-1 win at the Emirates to be City’s most difficult game during this streak. This is notable praise, given that City have faced tricky opponents like Manchester United, Chelsea, Leicester City, Aston Villa and West Ham United.
Arsenal played Manchester City at the Etihad on Game-Week 2. Mikel Arteta set up in a conservative 5-man-back formation, and the Gunners crashed to a 5-0 defeat. This humiliation came after identical 2-0 losses to Brentford and Chelsea. This had left Arsenal languishing at the 20th spot in the Premier League. The Gunners ranked 97th among 98 teams in terms of Expected Goal Difference (xGD) after 3 games.
Since then, the Gunners have instigated a remarkable turn-around. From GW 3, until facing City again on New Year’s Day, the Gunners suffered only 3 losses in the league. 2 draws and 12 wins meant Arsenal sat 4th on the table, and a CL qualification was a realistic target for the season.
Arsenal established themselves as serious contenders for the top 4 against Manchester City at home. Arteta set up in a more aggressive 4-2-3-1 formation. The Gunners led 1-0 at half-time, prevented City from even registering a shot on target and fans around the world watching Arsenal on TV were justifiably optimistic about the outcome this time around.
FULL TIME | Starting 2022 with a win! 🙌
What a game! 😅
🔴 1-2 🔵 #ManCity pic.twitter.com/LeE8chHOcz
— Manchester City (@ManCity) January 1, 2022
However, controversial refereeing decisions, missed chances, and poor luck meant the game culminated in a 2-1 loss for Arteta’s men. After the game, Guardiola even acknowledged that Arsenal had been the better side, and deserved a win on the night.
The ex-Barcelona boss has heaped praise on his former assistant Arteta on multiple occasions. After his side beat Brentford 1-0, Guardiola praised Arsenal to be “one of the top right now”. He also mentioned that the current team is the best Arsenal side in the last 4-5 years.
And Mikel Arteta was subject to further praise after City’s game against Chelsea. Guardiola said:
“That is amazing,”
“That’s the reason why we are here. On the 1st of December, I think, we were one point behind Chelsea and now we are 13 points ahead. It has been an incredible run.”
“I think Arsenal was the most difficult one because we didn’t have energy, especially here (pointing to his head). End of December. Points advantage. We played two days before at Brentford. It was so tough after two days. We were lucky. But the rest of the games, we were there.”
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The praise by Guardiola would certainly serve as a source of inspiration for Arsenal. The Gunners have displayed good heart and tactical awareness throughout the season. Praise from one of the best managers in the world is the most certain acknowledgement that Arteta is guiding Arsenal in the right direction.
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