The Man City manager Pep Guardiola watched his side dismantle Arsenal at the Emirates last night, increasing the pressure on his old assistant Mikel Arteta even more, but after the game he only had encouraging words for the Arsenal boss after the game.
Guardiola was asked by Sky Sports if he had had a word with Arteta after the game, and this is what he replied (as transcribed by Eurosport: “I didn’t speak with him,” he said. “What can I say, everybody knows we are judged on results. He can defend himself perfectly.
“I worked with him, we cannot have had our success without him. He is an incredible manager. I know his proposals and what he will do. Not even a little run of bad results is going to change my opinion.”
A “little run of bad results” may be the understatement of the year considering that Arsenal haven’t won a League game in over 7 weeks! But Guardiola obviously believes that Arteta will turn things around in the end. In fact he is pretty certain!
“They will do a huge, big mistake if they…” he continued. “I’m pretty sure they are going to trust him. I understand for the analysts, analyse the results. But I was with him many years and I know his incredible quality as a human being and especially as a manager, how he is involved in everything. It’s just a question of time and he will do well.
“I’m not on the board. For me they will do a big mistake if they are thinking… They give him the confidence, they won two titles when for a long time ago it didn’t happen at this club. In this pandemic situation, with injury problems they have and the games they played always they played good.
“But unfortunately these games is our job and it depends on the results. But football changes in one week so quick.
“I can speak about my experience alongside him, one of the most incredibly successful teams in English history we had and he was part of this success and it would not be possible without him, and to create something like this you need time like I had in my first season.”
Hmm I don’t remember Guardiola having a “run of bad results” like this one, in any year since he arrived at Man City, but then he already had a very expensively acquired squad already waiting for him.
Maybe Arteta just needs a few billion to improve the squad, eh Pep?
The situation Pep described isn’t reality or accurate though… Out of place for Pep to speak about another clubs troubles as well.
But when you are asked, you answer. Not doing so gives the wrong impression.
managers all the time decline to answer questions. WHat is the wrong impression about Pep not answering a question about Arsenal??
Is Arsenal headed relegated not becoming a huge mistake?
2 trophies after a long while pep? I don’t think so…
I understand Pep wants to save Arteta, they are friends, but for Arteta it’s not working. He is too inexperienced and should leave before we are relegated.
You have to have sawdust for brains if Pep backing Arteta after the horror shows we have been experiencing makes you think otherwise. Pep doesn’t mention that maybe being his first managerial role and taking us down to the relegation zone is looking out of his depth because he is a mate. He doesn’t explain why players under Arteta are losing form and he doesn’t say how easy he found it playing against us last night with most of his star players sat with their slippers on. If he did we might listen.
Arteta’s skills, talent, and potential are all irrelevant. Good managers get fired all the time. It’s about getting reasonable results in the here and now. That is clearly not happening.
I have just come across this blog. The content is spot on. Happy holidays!
I dare you to find anyone in Pep’s “coaching tree” that has amounted to anything in the managerial world…in fact his most “successful” underling, Domenec Torrent, survived a year in the MLS and even less time at Flamengo…much like Belichick, in the NFL, micro-managers rarely produce successful coaching proteges, as they don’t seem to provide the proper tutelage and/or blueprint for those who work under them…so why would Arteta be any different…he should have tried his hand at managing before attempting such an arduous undertaking…I think even the most experienced of managers would have struggled with this sh** show…this is about more than just a tactical change, although that would be much appreciated, we need to address some serious systemic problems that functionally arose when Wenger made his nefarious deal with our absentee landlord
Actually blive wat pep says, arteta need more time he’s incrideble manager with good tactical and chemistry. Ya gunners💪