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FA Cup: Old footage of Guaridola's assistant Arteta not celebrating Man City's goal against Arsenal goes viral

Ahead of Friday night's FA Cup fourth-round clash, Pep Guardiola stated that he always knew about Mikel Arteta's love for Arsenal when the pair worked together at Manchester City.

football FA Cup: Old footage of Guaridola's assistant Arteta not celebrating Man City's goal against Arsenal goes viral snt
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First Published Jan 27, 2023, 4:05 PM IST

Ahead of Friday's FA Cup fourth-round clash, Pep Guardiola revealed that he always knew about Mikel Arteta's love for Arsenal when the pair worked together at Manchester City.

Between 2016 and 2019, Arteta served as Guardiola's assistant at the Etihad for more than three years, during which time the team won two Premier League championships.

Prior to taking over as Arsenal's manager in December 2019, the Spaniard made 150 appearances for the Gunners between 2011 and 2016 and captained the team when he was at the Emirates.

Also read: 'Disappointed that we couldn't achieve more together' - Frank Lampard breaks his silence post Everton sacking

Guardiola and Arteta have a great deal of regard for one another; in the past, the Arsenal manager has referred to his counterpart as his "idol", and on Friday, they will square off in the FA Cup's fourth round at the Etihad stadium.

In addition, Arteta has always been enthusiastic about his previous team, according to Guardiola, who also discussed why he wouldn't celebrate when City scored against the Gunners.

'I know he went to his club,' Guardiola told his pre-match press conference. 'The team he dreams of. He's a supporter, he was a captain there. He loves the club. I remember here when we scored goals he jumped a lot except against one team."

"He was sitting there - it was Arsenal. I said "that guy likes Arsenal". Like here, if I'm training as assistant and Barcelona call me, I go."

Following Guardiola's revelation, a video was posted on Arsenal's Reddit page that shows the reaction of Arteta when Man City scored against the Gunners:

In addition, Guardiola stated that he fully expected Arteta to lead a club in the future and that it is always the appropriate choice to allow players and coaches to leave if they so choose.

"I said many times to my players and staff. We felt if one team could offer him a role as manager he'd leave. I'm not a guy to say "stay with me". Everyone has dreams. People have to fly when they believe it is the best. To players, if they are not happy, they have to leave, life is too short," Guardiola added.

Arsenal leads City by five points with a game remaining in the Premier League title race, making Friday's FA Cup match a tantalising matchup. Since they haven't faced off in the league, the cup game gives them a chance to humiliate their championship rivals psychologically.

Also read: Copa del Rey: What inspired Real Madrid's comeback against Atletico? Benzema gives ultimate response

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