Following his comments on Andrew Robertson and “elbowgate,” Man City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted he is at odds with Mikel Arteta, an Arsenal foe.
Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola appear to be at differences after the latter admitted he didn’t watch Sunday’s 2-2 tie between Arsenal and Liverpool. The contentious Andrew Robertson elbow incident, which stood out in sharp contrast to Arteta, was not anything the Manchester City manager claimed to have noticed.
During the halftime whistle at Anfield, assistant referee Constantine Hatzidakis seemed to elbow Robertson in the face, but Guardiola admitted he didn’t see the event.
Hatzidakis has been suspended by the FA while they look into the matter, but Guardiola has kept silent.
Interestingly, when asked about the elbowing incident at Anfield ahead of their Champions League meeting, Guardiola claimed that he wasn’t even watching Man City’s Premier League title opponents just over two weeks before their showdown at the Etihad Stadium.
I heard about it, but I didn’t see it, he informed the press. I was watching the golf and Bayern Munich. I later watched highlights, but I didn’t witness it.
“I can’t remark because I didn’t see the image, despite their telling me that something happened. But it’s strange. I was shocked when someone informed me what had occurred.”
It’s an interesting contrast to Arteta, his former protégé and title challenger, who has publicly acknowledged he occasionally watches Manchester City.
At the outset of the month, Arteta noted, “Our focus is on what we can manage – ourselves – every single day.
Yet, like any manager or team, we enjoy watching football games, so if we can, you can count on us to watch this one as well.
Despite having played one more game than the defending champions, Arsenal leads Man City by six points at the top of the Premier League.
Guardiola is aware that the City have a chance to win a third straight championship if they defeat Arsenal at the Etihad and win the game they have left to play.
It is hardly surprising, though, that his main attention is on Tuesday’s Champions League match against Bayern Munich.
City is the favorite to win the Premier League and the Champions League and will be confident of advancing to the FA Cup final against Sheffield United.
It looks like Guardiola will lead the team to just the second triple in English football history, emulating Manchester United’s triumph in 1999, if everything goes according to plan.
