Mikel Arteta offered an olive branch to Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola after Arsenal secured a dramatic injury-time victory against Leicester at the Emirates on Saturday.
The fallout from last Sundayâs fractious 2-2 Premier League draw between the teams continued all week before Guardiola declared âwarâ on former assistant Arteta during his pre-match press conference on Friday.
But Gunners boss Arteta took the first steps to calm the situation following Arsenalâs 4-2 win over Leicester.
âI can repeat it very clear: I love Pep,â Arteta said. âI have admired him since I was 10 years old. I respect him profoundly and Iâm so grateful for anything he did for me and continues to do for me.
âI consider him to be a friend. I love and respect every member of staff there (at City) because I worked with them for four years.â
Managers Pep Guardiola (right) and Mikel Arteta pictured hugging before last Sundayâs game
That game, between Artetaâs Arsenal and Guardiolaâs City, was a fiercely competitive clash
It ended in a 2-2 draw before the managers became embroiled in a post-game âwarâ this week
Guardiola had taken issue with Artetaâs claim in the aftermath of the Etihad draw that the Arsenal boss knew all about Cityâs use of the âdark artsâ.
The City boss demanded âclarityâ from the Spaniard and suggested that Arteta was hinting at the 115 Premier League charges the club are fighting.
But Arteta moved to clarify his comments in a bid to defuse the growing animosity between the two title rivals.
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âWhen I say that âI know themâ, I meant I know how hard they work,â said Arteta. âI havenât seen a human being work as hard as Pep and the coaches and everybody in that football club to be consistently winning.
âThe reason they are there is they maintain the hunger. This is exactly what Iâve learnt and what I meant, so I cannot be more clear than that.
âIf you want I can repeat it but if someone wants to damage our relationship, thatâs not in my hands but that feeling is profound. He knows it, the staff know it because I still maintain (a relationship) with them today, with the board, with the ownership, with everyone.â
But Arteta, pictured embracing Guardiola in April last year, has since moved to end that âwarâ
Artetaâs Arsenal side beat Leicester City 4-2 at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday afternoon
Earlier on Saturday, Guardiola saw his Man City team held to 1-1 draw away at Newcastle
His comments came after Arsenal claimed a late three points against lowly Leicester after a Wilfred Ndidi own goal and a Kai Havertz strike.
Despite the scare, Arteta was largely pleased with the display.
âI think we were unbelievable today,â he said. âWe deserved to win with many more goals.â
