Guardiola sidesteps Arsenal League Cup final rivalry as ‘world collapses’
Al Jazeera
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola refuses to talk rivalry with Arsenal at a time when ‘the world is going to collapse’.
Pep Guardiola was given the platform to engage in pre-match mind games with rival coach Mikel Arteta ahead of Manchester City’s meeting with Arsenal in the English League Cup final on Sunday.
He didn’t bite.
“Look what’s happened around the world,” Guardiola said Friday. “We have an incredible chaos and nobody moves one finger. Everything is behind the scenes. The world is going to collapse and still we are here talking about dark arts.”
Guardiola’s reference to “dark arts” recalled a flashpoint between the teams that reared up after a Premier League match in September 2024, when Arsenal’s tactics drew criticism from a number of City players following a 2-2 draw.
Midfielder Bernardo Silva said Arsenal’s players pushed “the limits of what was possible to do.” Defender John Stones said they “break up the game which upsets the rhythm”. It was full back Kyle Walker, no longer at City, who described Arsenal’s perceived tactics as “dark arts.”
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