“What a team!” – Pep Guardiola issues major praise on Arsenal ahead of Emirates clash | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has issued significant praise upon Arsenal ahead of his side’s meeting with the Gunners at the Emirates Stadium.

The clash comes at an important stage in the season, with City fresh from their Champions League win over Napoli but managing some minor fitness concerns around key players such as Rodri, and more notable absences in the likes of Rayan Cherki.

Guardiola’s side head to north London knowing that meetings in recent seasons with Arsenal proved to be pivotal in the Premier League title race, and the latest encounter could again shape the direction of the campaign.

The Catalan’s comments also highlight the respect he holds for his former assistant Mikel Arteta, who has built Arsenal into one of the Premier League’s most consistent and dangerous outfits across recent windows, having pushed City hard but also made strides in Europe.

Pep Guardiola, for his part, has repeatedly emphasised the importance of rotation and depth, especially with a busy fixture list that now includes Arsenal immediately after high-intensity derbies and European nights.

Speaking during his pre-match press conference ahead of Manchester City’s clash with Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, Guardiola has issued significant praise on his close friend and former colleague Mikel Arteta’s Gunners outfit.

“Mikel is an extraordinary manager, and what they’ve done in increasing the squad in these four, five transfer windows… It’s an unbelievable squad, and an unbelievable team – it’s one of the toughest opponents you can find right now in Europe,” Guardiola insisted.

He continued, “And we’ll see what we have to do, and which players are fit, and we’ll try to compete and be a better team than what we was last season, especially in the last 20, 25 minutes.”

The Manchester City boss also sounded out one member of Arteta’s coaching staff for individual praise, and insisted that the Emirates side are impressive in all departments of their game.

“So last season, in Europe, made an incredible step forward, and for me its the most solid team – they don’t make mistakes at the back, and its an incredibly solid team,” Guardiola added.

“They have pace up front, of course set pieces with Nico Jover – he was here – so in every department its, WHAT A TEAM! In every department! But we know it. Every team is better, and better, and better and I know the quality that all of them have.”

Attention now turns to how Guardiola will approach his selection for the Emirates clash, with Rodri’s minor issues earlier this week still seemingly under assessment. The Spaniard remains essential to balance, but the manager hinted that he could make a late decision on his involvement.

Options such as Tijjani Reijnders or Nico Gonzalez may be required to step up if Pep Guardiola chooses to protect his midfield anchor. From a tactical perspective, Guardiola’s comments also underline the scale of the challenge that awaits his side.

Arsenal’s blend of pace, power, and set-piece threat means Manchester City will likely need to produce one of their most controlled performances of the season so far in order to take all three points.

With both sides boasting strong squads and momentum, Sunday’s fixture has the makings of another defining Premier League battle between Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta, but perhaps too early to have any major repercussions on their respective campaign hopes.