Mikel Arteta joined his good friend and mentor Pep Guardiola as a Premier League winner today but he still found time to praise the City boss.
City and Guardiola once again pushed Arsenal all the way but it was just a step too far in the end.
With Guardiola now leaving, Arteta and Arsenal know full well there is a chance for the club to dominate for years.
However, Arteta is a humble man. And when discussing Arsenal’s title win, he admitted his team is as good as they are because of Pep and City.
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Mikel Arteta praises Pep Guardiola
Many have assumed for years that Arteta might be the one to take over from Pep at City.
That honour is going to Enzo Maresca as we all well know and Arteta will be looking forward to the battles with the former Chelsea boss.
However, for now, Arteta was dignified in success as he praised Guardiola’s influence.
“You raise your level because you have opposition who are constantly asking that question from you,” Arteta said on the field after full-time.
“In my opinion, we had the best team in the history of this competition pushing us. In Pep, by far he is the best manager in the world.
“To do it with those circumstances and in the manner we did it, it is all about the we in this team. I loved every minute of it.”
With Guardiola being such a dominant force in English football in the last decade, it’s little wonder it has taken time for Arsenal to come out on top.
Now, Arteta will be wanting more of the success and wanting to emulate Guardiola further.
That only happens if Arsenal continue to win trophies and be involved in the biggest occasions.
That being said, if Arteta wins the Champions League next week, then he might have just surpassed Pep in certain ways in the eyes of Gunners fans.
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