[ad_1]
Mikel Arteta has hailed Josep Guardiola as “the best manager in the world by a mile” but believes Arsenal can swing the Premier League title race with victory against Manchester City.
Arsenal have never won in eight visits to the Etihad Stadium since January 2015 and have lost seven times. Then, in April last year, when City underwent a complete reform with the aim of remaining in the league, they suffered a crushing 4-1 defeat.
– Stream on ESPN+: La Liga, Bundesliga and more (US)
Arteta and Guardiola’s long-standing friendship includes three years on City’s coaching staff before taking over Arsenal in December 2019.
“My admiration and feelings for him have certainly not changed,” Arteta said. “In my opinion, he is by far the best coach in the world and one of the greatest people I have ever met in football.
“Certainly he’s one of the most fun and funny people I’ve ever worked with, and that will stay there forever.
”[At Arsenal]I was just watching everyone walking through the building, and I loved the energy, I loved the smiles on their faces, and they were so happy to be back.
“They wanted to train yesterday, and the way they communicate and engage each day is amazing.
“We have done a lot to be in the position we are in, but we have to work hard every day, train well and prepare for every match. “I have done my best, but I have to accept that position.” Good luck.”
“You have to take strong steps to get there and I think we’ve taken a big step in the last few seasons. We’re pretty close and now it’s about how we close the gap and try to be better than them. Ruka is important.”
Arsenal held an eight-point advantage over City at the start of April last season, but suffered disappointing draws against Liverpool, West Ham and Southampton as Guardiola’s side won their fifth title in six seasons. They were only able to win two of their final nine games.
With Liverpool leading the league on goal difference, Arteta spoke about how they hope to avoid a similar fate.I end up drawing a picture
“At West Ham we were in the same position and we still could have won but we missed a penalty. And against Southampton we obviously should have won but there were a lot of factors that prevented us from winning.
“There were injuries, there was the Sporting game, [exiting the Europa League at the round-of-16 stage] And there were a lot of factors. Momentum then turned negative and we struggled to keep up as they continued to win. They won 14 or 15 games in a row!
”[Sunday] It’s a big game for both teams. If we could go there and win, it would be another big boost. Still, it’s a long, long, long road to building the foundation for winning. ”
Arteta confirmed that Bukayo Saka (hamstring), Gabriel Martinelli (foot) and Gabriel Magalhães (Achilles tendon) will be available for City if they complete Saturday’s training session without any problems.
[ad_2]
Source link
