Pep Guardiola has given Arsenal glowing praise for the way they have built their squad under Mikel Arteta, calling the club’s transfer dealings “wise” and pointing to their steady climb towards becoming one of Europe’s strongest sides.
The Manchester City manager, who faces another testing Premier League weekend, spoke to BBC Sport on Friday about Arsenal’s transformation.
He said the Gunners’ recent progress is no coincidence, but the product of carefully planned moves in the transfer market.
“All I can say is they have been wise. They spent what they believe they can to compete against the best teams in the Premier League and Europe, and they’ve reached that level. So he [Arteta] found, I think, a team in that way, a club, and step by step, window by window, step by step, Arsenal is getting better,” Guardiola said.
Guardiola also reflected on City’s 5-1 defeat at the Emirates last season, admitting his side allowed the game to slip away. “We forgot to do what we had to do, and after that, it was easy for Arsenal. The last 15-20 minutes were a disaster. Hopefully, this season we can make a little bit more challenge,” he said.
The Spaniard then turned his attention to Rodri, who is working his way back after an ACL injury. Guardiola noted that while the midfielder has not yet regained full confidence, he remains convinced that patience will pay off.
“Not yet. The greatest players I ever trained in my managerial career, what I see is here [in their head]. Here they are incredible, so confident in themselves, and Rodri is that. But the knee is completely different from how you think. And the knee needs its process. As much as he’s patient with that, and we are patient with him, he will be back,” he explained.
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