Arteta wishes he didn’t have to compete with former boss Guardiola
As well as fighting for the Premier League title, Arsenal and Man City will face each other in FA Cup this week, with Arteta admitting he preferred to compete with anyone but his former boss, Guardiola.
Before taking the Arsenal role,
Mikel Artetaserved as Guardiola's assistant at
Manchester City. Now, he has to face his former boss at both FA Cup and Premier League this season, with
Arsenalleading the Premier League table with five points and a game in hand.
Two sides will face each other in a FA Cup tie on Friday, which will be their first meeting of the season. Arteta told his press conference:
"I would prefer to do it with someone else, to be fair.
"I want the best for him, genuinely the best for him, and when you're challenging like this, something comes in between.
"It's a strange feeling. It is what it is, and that's our challenge. I always hoped that was going to be the case one day, and it's happening this season.
"Obviously that's not going to change any friendship, the moments we had, how important he is in my life, how important he is in my profession.
"We're both wanting to win and defend our clubs the best possible way. That's always been the case since day one."
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