PEP GUARDIOLA says his Manchester City reigning champions are ready to go to “war” with Arsenal.
And the City boss called on Gunners chief Mikel Arteta to come clean over his “dark arts” claims during his 3½ years as Guardiola’s Etihad No 2.
Arteta reckons the blockbuster title race will not ruin his relationship with close pal Guardiola.
Arsenal defender Gabriel had stoked up the rivalry by demanding revenge in the February rematch after a fiery showdown with Erling Haaland — who threw the ball at him — in Sunday’s feisty 2-2 draw.
Guardiola said: “Gabriel said it perfectly, ‘This is a war, we have to provoke the opponent’.
“So, we have to think, ‘OK, you want a war? Now we have a war’.
“I’m pretty sure Erling is not proud but, listen, with the type of challenge that Arsenal gave, I understand it.”
Guardiola could not hide his anger at what could be viewed as a betrayal by long-term friend Arteta.
The City boss, 53, insists he does not know what Arteta was referring to — and even wondered if it could be a reference to the club’s ongoing legal battle with the Premier League.
Arteta said on Wednesday: “I was there for four years. I have all the information. So I know, believe me.”
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Spaniard Guardiola added: “Next time, Mikel has to be more clear about exactly what he means. I have to see more clearly exactly what happened while he was here.
“So hopefully this question has been asked of him and he can also answer now exactly what it means when he said he was here and he knows what’s happening here.
“It could be related to the process with the 115 charges — maybe it’s about that and he knows information.
Pep Guardiola
“Instead of being in the clouds there, he has to be more precise.”
The fallout from the explosive Etihad clash is likely to put a huge strain on the relationship between Guardiola and Arteta — and increase the tension between title rivals City and Arsenal.
Guardiola could be forgiven for feeling letdown as he spent 3½ years mentoring Arteta while he was on his coaching staff.
The City gaffer then urged his club not to stand in the way of his assistant when Arsenal moved to appoint him as manager in 2019.
And the champions even turned a blind eye to certain things that happened around his departure that they were not happy with.
Yet Arteta insists that nothing can damage his relationship with Pep.
Arsenal and City produced a Prem epic last weekend which ended with John Stones’ 98th-minute equaliser.
We thought games like this had been lost
SunSport’s NEIL CUSTIS hails chaotic Man City vs Arsenal clash as a return to the Premier League of yesteryear.
FOR two teams who have done so much to take the game forward this really was a tremendous throwback.
We thought these games had been lost.
Real feisty encounters between two rivals fighting for the top honours.
How we used to love it when Manchester United came up against Arsenal when Sir Alex Ferguson and Arsene Wenger were in charge.
When Roy Keane, watching on as a TV pundit here, used to clash with Patrick Vieira before a ball had been kicked.
The Manchester derbies used to have it as well.
In fact that were clashes everywhere throughout the league.
Since then the emphasis on the beauty of the game, the tactical side, the ball playing centre-back, the false nine, the inverted full-backs have all come to the fore.
But English football still loves something like this.
Compare this to the two matches between this pair last season not least the really STALEmate here.
Then along comes a blood and thunder classic.
A match to set the tone for what we all hope will be a real title tussle to the end but with that added edge.
While these two managers maybe good friends who knows we may even get the niggly comments in pre-match press conferences about each others teams.
We knew we were in for something a bit different as straight from the kick-off Kai Havertz charged into Rodri and left him flawed.
The first players’ melee ensued.
Foreign coaches often scratch their heads as to why English crowds love stuff like this.
Love a thumping tackle, or a bit of a barney.
How that as much as any sweeping move gets them to the edge of their seats and there was plenty of that here.
Jurrien Timber was employed on the right to combat the pace of Jeremy Doku.
SO Doku just charged into him and floored him.
Rodri was clearly seen as one of City’s key men so at a corner Thoams Party followed up Havertz’s early example and caught him behind the knee, and the player hobbled out of the action.
Gabriel and Erling Haaland was a classic battle between a big centre-forward and an Arsenal centre-back who performs like greats of old like Tony Adams and Martin Keown.
A player for whom a thumping tackle warrants the same high fives or celebrations as something defining at the other end of the pitch.
Haaland did brilliantly to pull away William Saliba and slip behind Gabriel for his goal.
Gabriel will have been fuming having kept the big Norwegian so quiet last season.
He barely gave him another sniff of goal, barring a second-half header saved, as he stuck to him, the pair often pushing and shoving one another as Haaland became frustrated with his shadow.
Leandro Trossard did not get his second yellow and therefore the only red for the actual barge on Bernardo as everyone first thought but for kicking the ball away after that.
Both technical areas were a flurry of arm waving and shouting from the two managers.
The staff on the two benches started having a go at each other and Guardiola had to intervene.
In the press box one of Arsenal’s technical staff was losing it.
As Arsenal players went down with cramp and played for time the boos went up.
The fourth official was getting in the ear.
Michael Oliver was being told he was not fit to referee by a large section of the home support.
When Arsenal fans were spotted in the posh seats having been in the expensive tunnel club City fans shouted and pointed to try and get them ejected.
Right at the end after City’s dramatic equaliser and the game restarted Haaland barged into Partey and every player on the pitch got involved even the two goalkeepers.
At the final whistle the ref was harrangued.
On the touchline Guardiola and Arteta hugged.
Arteta, who worked under Pep at City from 2016 until his Gunners exit, said: “Sport will never get in my way of a personal relationship.
“If our relationship was damaged because one draws and the other one wins, or the number of times they’ve beaten us, I would not talk to him any more.
“They have beaten us …they won the last four titles and our relationship continues to be the same, so what has to change for that relationship to be over?
“That is just not our relationship, especially the relationship I consider both of us have,
“I love him, I respect him, I admire him and I admire his team and everything that he does
Mikel Arteta
“One thing is our profession, another is our personal relationship.”
Arsenal were made to pay for their “dark arts” and “dirty” tactics by Stones’ late leveller.
Asked if it was hard to stay pals with Pep due to the rivalry, Arteta added: “If those accusations affect you it’s because maybe they’re true.
“If they don’t and you do what you believe is right and show integrity, it doesn’t have to be.
“If you don’t like opinions, you shouldn’t be sitting in the position I am. It’s quite simple. Don’t take it personal. It’s part of our job.
“Things you care about, make sure you handle them in the right way. That relationship with Pep I really care about.
