Mikel Arteta is going head-to-head with Pep Guardiola for the Premier League title once more at Arsenal.
The Gunners have fallen short to Manchester City in the title race in the previous two seasons, with the gap undoubtedly closing.
Last term, Arsenal missed out on winning the Premier League by only two points, emphasising the progression the North Londoners have seen in regard to their claim to the title.
The two sides met for the first time in the 2024/25 calendar on match day six, seeing the Gunners take a point away from the Etihad in dramatic circumstances.
David Dein shares opinion on Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola rivalry
The draw at the Etihad saw a fierce rivalry emerge between Arsenal and City, with both sets of players eager to get under each other’s skin.
Arsenal as a club have experienced a fierce title rivalry before, with Arsene Wenger and Sir Alex Ferguson going head-to-head year upon year for Premier League glory back in the day.
While Arteta has a long way to go to be compared to Wenger in terms of titles, former Arsenal chairman David Dein shared his opinion on the budding hostility between the Gunners and City.
When asked whether Arsenal and City have a ‘proper rivalry’ on talkSPORT [29/09 10:07am], Dein shared two things that see Guardiola and Arteta mirror Ferguson and Wenger.
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“Remember they [Arteta and Guardiola] worked together so they know each other very well professionally and socially,” Dein explained when talking about the difference in relationships between the four managers.
“They know each other through and through and they know their sensitive points. I think it’s all down to passion and pressure. I don’t think it’s unhealthy at all, as long as there’s respect at the end of it.”
Dein went on to explain that Wenger and Ferguson rarely spoke outside of their meetings with each other when they were both at their peaks at their respective clubs, with the dynamic between Arteta and Guardiola a complete contrast.
Despite there being a friendship between the two Spaniards, Dein celebrated the ‘passion and pressure’ between the title rivals when reminiscing about Wenger’s era at Arsenal.
Arsenal have to keep unsettling Man City
The rivalry between Manchester United and Arsenal elevated each year as both clubs tussled for the title.
There was no love lost between the clubs, the managers and the squads, something that seems to be in the pipeline today between Arsenal and City.
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It’s an exciting time for the Gunners, who suffered a period of mediocrity after Wenger’s glory years, as the North Londoners can now firmly consider themselves as being very much under City’s skin.
Just like Ferguson’s United, Guardiola’s machine is not easy to usurp, adding to the pressure and desire to win, making for all the ingredients for a fierce rivalry in the chase for the Premier League title.
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