Manchester City lost ground in the Premier League title race after drawing 3-3 with Tottenham Hotspur in controversial circumstances, but Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta somehow found himself at the centre of attention.
There were a number of contentious refereeing decisions in the game at the Etihad Stadium, with Erling Haaland fuming at referee Simon Hooper for blowing the whistle for a foul having played the advantage after Jack Grealish found himself bearing down on goal.
Refereeing decisions have been a huge topic in the Premier League recently, and Arteta has been at the forefront after being charged by the FA for comments he made after Arsenal’s defeat to Newcastle.
Pep Guardiola fires shot at Mikel Arteta
Speaking after yesterday’s game, Man City manager Pep Guardiola fired a shot at Arteta in hilarious fashion, highlighting the Arsenal manager’s recent outburst at refereeing decisions when asked abut the controversial moments in his side’s game.
“Next question. I will not do a Mikel Arteta comment,” he stated.
“It is hard when you review the image, the referee decides to blow the whistle after he has already said to play on. After the pass, the whistle, so I do not understand this action. It was a good game, that is the most important thing.”
This comes after Arteta’s outburst against refereeing and VAR, in which he described decisions given against his side as “a disgrace,” leading to a statement of support from Arsenal.
Guardiola’s relationship with Arteta
Arteta was Guardiola’s assistant at Man City prior to his return to Arsenal as manager, and the two have both admitted that they remain good friends, despite their sides competing with each other at the top of the Premier League.
Whilst Guardiola’s jibe at Arteta was likely meant in jest, it does indicate that fellow Premier League managers may be unhappy at the way in which he conducted himself after the decisions went against his side.
Spurs manager Ange Postecoglou recently had a dig at Arteta for being so harsh on the referees and PGMOL, and there appears to be scrutiny over the Arsenal boss every time a manager is asked about poor decisions.
Arsenal were perhaps right to back their manager whilst he came under fire from the media and the FA, and it is clear that he will have no allies amongst his coaching peers when it comes to wider calls to improve refereeing standards.
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