Prior to Sunday’s EFL Cup final, Pep Guardiola tried to shed some light on concerns about Arsenal’s purported use of the “dark arts” by arguing that the “world is going to collapse” should receive more attention.
Guardiola, the manager of Manchester City, is thought to have been referring to the ongoing conflict in the Middle East, which has claimed over 2000 lives and shows no signs of abating, though no explanation was provided.
Guardiola needs to get ready for the weekend trip to Wembley while that battle rages, but he ignored a query on Arsenal’s strategy.
“Look what happens around the world; we are becoming in an incredible chaos, and nobody moves a finger,” he declared. It’s all behind the scenes. Even when the world is about to end, we are still discussing the dark arts of one squad or another. That is not the most essential thing.
When a similar question was asked, Guardiola responded angrily, “Did you listen to me when I said it was about black arts and Arsenal? Visit London. What time is Mikel [Arteta]’s press conference? You have time to see him and inquire about that.
Guardiola opts against stoking Arteta rivalry at a time
Arsenal’s players pushed “the limits of what was possible to do,” according to midfielder Bernardo Silva. They “break up the game which upsets the rhythm,” according to defender John Stones. Full defender Kyle Walker, who is no longer at City, referred to Arsenal’s alleged strategies as “dark arts.”
Arteta gave a fairly cryptic response to such remarks, claiming that because he worked as Guardiola’s assistant at City from 2016 to 2019, he has “all the information” about the team.
For the majority of the season, City and Arsenal have fought for the top spot in the Premier League standings, and Guardiola is a supporter of the squad assembled by Mikel Arteta, who was formerly a member of his coaching staff at the Etihad.
They have a lot of control over the game. They haven’t won for a long time, but you can sense that strength and unity,” he said.
“When they defend deep, high, build-ups, long balls, second balls, and so many other positive things, they have control. They have a good squad and a fantastic team, a significant obstacle for us.
