Mikel Arteta has hailed Pep Guardiola as “the best coach in the world” ahead of Arsenal's top-of-the-table clash against Manchester City on Sunday.
Arsenal currently lead the Premier League on goal difference ahead of Liverpool with reigning champions City one point behind.
The Gunners have won eight games on the trot this year, scoring a prolific 33 goals along the way, but face the ultimate test of their title credentials against a City side looking to become the first team to secure four English top-flight crowns in a row.
Arteta has close ties with his title rivals after a three-year spell as assistant coach to Guardiola before leaving to take over at the North London club in what is his first managerial role.
Last season, it looked like Arteta was set to guide Arsenal to their first championship since 2004 – holding an eight-point lead at the top at the start of April – only to be overhauled by City in the home straight.
And now Arteta and Guardiola are going toe-to-toe again with Arsenal twice having come out on top in games this season – winning the Community Shield on penalties and the league game at the Emirates Stadium 1-0 in October thanks to Gabriel Martinelli's late winner.
When asked on Friday whether his relationship with Guardiola was different now due to the rivalry, Arteta replied: “It had to change.
Arsenal 1 Man City 0: Player ratings
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ARSENAL PLAYER RATINGS: Must have breathed a huge sigh of relief after he took too long to make a clearance and almost allowed Alvarez to nick the ball and put City ahead. Improved his distribution in the second half and played lovely passes into midfield. Getty -
Solid performance on the right from White. Wasn’t as adventurous as he normally is but stuck to his duties at the back. PA -
Zinchenko looked solid and helped the Gunners win control of the midfield for most of the game. Reuters -
An impeccable performance during which he kept Haaland quiet. He didn’t put a foot wrong all game. Getty -
Combined well with Saliba and dealt with the physical threat of Haaland. Made an incredible acrobatic clearance to stop Alvarez’s cross from finding Haaland during the first half. PA -
Provided a crucial block to stop Alvarez from testing Raya in the 58th minute. Kept things simple and made intelligent fouls. EPA -
A splendid performance in front of the Arsenal defence. Repeatedly pinched the ball back for the home side in dangerous positions. Came to the rescue with a goal-line clearance. AFP -
A below-average performance by his usual sky-high standards. He was guilty of playing a number of needless shots. PA -
Enjoyed a lot of space on the right wing, but he was guilty of overplaying the ball at times. On one occasion, he bamboozled Gvardiol with a brilliant first touch in the penalty area, but his cross was cut out by Ake. Getty -
Another uneventful game where he failed to assert himself. Couldn’t sort out his feet quickly enough when Odegaard found him at the edge of the penalty area in the first half. EPA -
A quiet game for the England international, where he made a number of questionable decisions. Had the Gunners’ first chance of the game, but his effort was wayward. AFP -
SUBS: (Trossard 46') Announced his introduction by registering the Gunners’ first shot on target in the 50th minute. Grabbed his first goal of the season at the perfect time, albeit with the help of Ake’s deflection. AFP -
(Nketiah 75') Played a huge part in Arsenal's goal by laying the ball for Martinelli to put the home side ahead. AP -
(Zinchenko 75') Played his part in the goal by pushing upfield and playing the ball into the path of Havertz. PA -
(Jorginho 75') Making his return from injury, Partey brought calmness to the Arsenal midfield and dovetailed well with Rice. Getty -
MANCHESTER CITY RATINGS: Made a mess of a cross that almost cost the visitors in the 49th minute. Could do little about the Gunners’ goal due to a huge deflection from Ake. Reuters -
Another solid performance on the right. Attacked and defended well against Trossard and Martinelli. Getty -
Had a good chance to put City ahead with a shot from close range, but he failed to keep his effort on target. Unlucky to see Martinelli’s effort deflect off him for the winner. Getty -
A good performance in the centre of defence. Kept Nketiah quiet and dealt with everything thrown at him. EPA -
Thought he had given the visitors the lead with an effort that was cleared off the line by Rice. Endured a tough first half against the double threat of Jesus and White on the right. PA -
Lucky to remain on the field after he made a studs-up challenge on Odegaard, which could have easily led to a red card. Guilty of making another dangerous tackle five minutes later, which could have easily been a second yellow card. Getty -
Held his own in midfield as City matched Arsenal in the first-half midfield battle. Must have felt aggrieved after the referee failed to play advantage when Martinelli brought him down on the edge of the penalty area, as he managed to slot the ball home. Getty -
Adopted a deeper role than usual. Regularly dropped back to receive passes from Ederson and helped the visitors build out from the back. Getty -
A busy afternoon for Foden as he tried to make things happen in the final third. Rice paid close attention to him all game. EPA -
Failed to do much against Arsenal's disciplined backline. Had a go from range in the 33rd minute but failed to keep his effort on target. EPA -
An anonymous performance from Haaland up front. He was well marshalled by Gabriel and Saliba. Getty -
SUBS: (Kovacic 68') Not the best of cameos from the summer signing. Repeatedly made backward passes when he could have pushed up in a bid to make things happen in the final third. Reuters -
(Lewis 68') Brought on in a bid to shore the visitors’ midfield, looked calm on the ball but didn't offer much going forward. AFP -
(Alvarez 68') Came on and offered a lot more threat on the right side. Has to make better decisions when it comes to choosing the time and moments to attempt a dribble. Reuters
“My admiration and what I feel for him certainly hasn't. In my opinion he's the best coach in the world by a mile and he's one of the nicest people that I've met in football.
“Certainly he's one of the ones that I've had the most fun and laughter working with. That's going to stay there forever.
“At the moment the rules are what they are and you're going to have to adapt to it.
“Probably I would prefer to do it [win the title] against someone who I don't have those feelings for but that's not a choice. It's what it is. We both want to win.
“We'll prepare the game very well. You cannot feel different about the person, but professionally you have to act differently.”
Arteta confirmed forwards Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli could feature having missed the international break with minor injuries, while defender Gabriel Magalhaes is also expected to be fit enough to start.
Guardiola, meanwhile has suffered a double defensive blow ahead of the game at the Etihad Stadium with Kyle Walker and John Stones both ruled out.
Walker suffered a hamstring injury in the early stages of England's friendly with Brazil last weekend, while Stones completed that game but then picked up an adductor problem 10 minutes into the draw with Belgium.
Goalkeeper Ederson could return to the side for the first time since suffering a thigh injury when conceding a penalty against Liverpool and Manuel Akanji has recovered from a knock on international duty with Switzerland, while Guardiola will make a late decision on the fitness of Kevin de Bruyne.
“Ederson is much better but Kyle and John are out,” the Spaniard said. “It is what it is. “For Kyle it will be more tougher than John [in terms of recovery], but I don't know for how many games he will be out.”
Guardiola's side remain in contention for a repeat of last season's treble, as they take on Real Madrid in the last eight of the Champions League and Chelsea in the FA Cup semi-finals.
City are on a superb run of form themselves and are currently enjoying a 22-game unbeaten streak in all competitions, dating to the start of December that also saw them win the Fifa Club World Cup for the first time.
Their 4-0 thrashing of Brazilian side Fluminense in Saudi Arabia made it a remarkable five trophies for City in 2023, having also beaten Sevilla in the Uefa Super Cup.
“It's good to be here and in contention for three titles after what happened last season,” Guardiola added. “We made incredible work.
“Right now every game is so important. If we are able to do it [against Arsenal], the next game will be important as well.
“We played really good the last month but the international break, the first game after you think what will happen? Yesterday we trained good and we have two more training sessions and will be ready for it again.”
