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Rob Dawson, Correspondent
Pep Guardiola has hit back at Mikel Arteta’s claim that he has inside information about Manchester City by telling the Arsenal manager to explain himself.
Arteta was asked on Tuesday to respond to City players’ complaints about Arsenal’s use of “dark arts” during the 2-2 draw at the Etihad Stadium.
The Arsenal manager, who was Guardiola’s assistant at the Etihad between 2016 and 2019, gave a cryptic reply, saying: “I was there for four years. I have all the information, believe me.”
The inference was that Arteta knows City also employ the same tactics, but when the quotes were put to Guardiola, he said his counterpart should be “more clear.”
“Did he say that?,” Guardiola said.
“Next time he has to be more clear exactly what does it mean? He said he was here four years and we know exactly what happened here, because it can be related in all the process now with 115 charges; maybe it’s about that. He knows information about that maybe.
“Hopefully this question has been asked. He can answer exactly what does it mean when he said he was here and I know what’s happening here, and instead of being in the clouds there [points above him] to be more precise.”
Relations between the two clubs have soured as they’ve gone head-to-head for the last two Premier League titles, though Arteta said in his Friday news conference that the rivalry wouldn’t affect the personal relationship between the two coaches.
The game at the Etihad threatened to boil over at different points and cameras caught Erling Haaland throwing the ball at Gabriel‘s head in the aftermath of John Stones‘ stoppage time equaliser.
Guardiola, though, says he doesn’t mind when a rivalry turns to “war” on the pitch.
“I would say that sometimes the emotions are so there. Gabriel said it perfectly in the press conference after the match, so, this is a war, we have here to provoke the opponent, to push them, and at the end, what can you do?
“So, we have to, okay, you provoke me, okay, I’m there. You want a war? Now we war. The type of challenge that Arsenal challenges, I understand it.”