Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta declined to comment on Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola’s defensive tactics after the draw between the Gunners and the Sky Blues.
The Gunners managed to salvage a point against Manchester City, who surprisingly adopted a defensive game plan in the second half to hold on to the lead they had secured in the first half through Erling Haaland, something unusual for a Guardiola team.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta refused to be drawn into the debate on Guardiola’s tactics, surely out of respect for the manager he regards as a friend after working under him as a City assistant.
“Everybody tries to do his best to get a result. It’s fine,” he said. “I’m extremely proud of the players and very disappointed with the result.
“After City scored the goal, after doing absolutely nothing before that, we started to dominate and the second half was a continuation of that.”
Arteta, whose team are five points behind Liverpool in second place, was not immune from criticism, with his decision to again start with Declan Rice, Mikel Merino and Martin Zubimendi in midfield raising eyebrows.
“For me we had a lot of attacking players in that team. Nobody asked me about the midfield three in Bilbao,” Arteta said in reference to the Gunners’ 2-0 Champions League win in the Basque Country in midweek.
“It was the same midfield. I believe it was the best for the team. They were the best ones to start the game.”