Pep Guardiola explains why he has no regrets about assisting Arsenal to their first Premier League title in 19 years
Pep Guardiola has no regrets about assisting Arsenal to their first Premier League title in 19 years.
In the summer, the Manchester City manager sold Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko to the Gunners, giving his former right-hand man and current Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta a substantial bonus.
After winning four Premier League titles at City, both stars are putting their championship experience to good use at Arsenal.
When Guardiola approved the £75 million transfer of Brazil striker Jesus and Ukraine left-back Zinchenko from the Etihad to the Emirates, few would have predicted that Arsenal would be title contenders.
Despite defending champions Manchester City trailing Arsenal by five points and having played one more game, manager Pep Guardiola conceded he had to release the duo because they desired a new challenge.
“No I don’t regret it,” said Guardiola. “I always say if you want to stay or you want to leave, then OK. I wish the best for Gabriel and Oleks, both are fantastic people.
“They helped us a lot, but it is not about that. It was their choice, absolutely. I never forced one player to leave, it is them, the club, decisions.
“Of course, Erling Haaland came and Julian Alvarez, too, so, for Gabriel, it was difficult. But it happens. It was a good deal. Honestly, we are not in this position because we don’t have Oleks, Gabriel or the other ones. My argument is beyond this.”
If City defeats Wolves today, they will be just two points behind Arsenal when the Gunners host a red-hot Manchester United. However, Guardiola claims he has no interest in supporting his crosstown rivals, even for 90 minutes, in the hope that they can defeat Arteta’s stars.
After reversing a 2-0 deficit to defeat Tottenham 4-2, the animated Spaniard unleashed a startling tirade claiming that his players and the entire club lacked fire, hunger, and desire.
And he believes that even if United were to defeat Arsenal today, City’s current issues would make it irrelevant if his stars do not wake up.
“It is not about that. If they lose against United, it doesn’t matter. If we play like this, we are not going to catch them,” said the City boss. ‘“We have to change ourselves. If Arsenal continue, then congratulations. But it is not about three points against United.”
Despite winning four titles in five years, Guardiola banished the notion that City have an advantage in hunting down the Gunners. “No, that is the past. See what we have now and then Arsenal. They have everything, all the pieces,” he added.
“They defend with 10 players in the box, five in the back, six in the back, good transitions, they win duels, look how they celebrate a goal, how they talk. How they look at each other, communicate. This is football. We don’t have it.”
Guardiola is determined to jolt his stars back to reality, and he claims that the challenge of making them unbeatable once more prompted him to sign a new contract. “I won four La Liga titles in a row as a player and after I was not starving enough,” he said.
“Too much caviar! Madrid beat me. I understand the players, but I am here to turn this around. The chairman knows that. I want to be here, but if I lose the team, I cannot be here. Sorry for the haters, but we’ll be in the history books for what we have done in the Premier League.
“It is undeniable how good we have been, but that is the past. The club have to move. We are second, not 25 points behind Arsenal, still 57 points to play.
“What I say is if we continue in this way, we have no chance. Our fans want the second half against Tottenham more often. That is what we have to do.”
Pep Guardiola explains why he has no regrets about assisting Arsenal to their first Premier League title in 19 years
