Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta took on all comers with a fierce defence of his team’s display against Manchester City last weekend, insisting that while fans may have been unimpressed, managers, CEOs and presidents from around the footballing world had a rather different message.
The Gunners battled out a 1–1 draw with City at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday, securing a precious point thanks to Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time lob. Arsenal had fallen behind to Erling Haaland’s ninth-minute opener and struggled to carve open any chances of note against a curiously defensive Pep Guardiola rearguard.
Arteta was lambasted for his starting XI—particularly a midfield three made up of the cautious trio of Mikel Merino, Martín Zubimendi and Declan Rice—and generally accused of playing with “the handbrake on” by disgruntled supporters online.
The Spanish boss had a very different reaction—one which was supposedly shared by several other figures in football. “I heard a lot of things using my phone, they could not believe what we did to Manchester City,” Arteta boasted. “People who are coaches, managers, CEOs, presidents.”
Arsenal limited City to just 33% possession, the lowest figure ever recorded by a Guardiola team, which Arteta seemingly took as an example of his side’s perceived dominance.
