… As Man City meets Arsenal today
Long portrayed as a lone idealist amid the cut-throat pragmatism of the Premier League, Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger has found a new ally in his Manchester City counterpart Pep Guardiola.
They face off at the Etihad Stadium today at a time when Guardiola’s attachment to attacking football has itself come under attack, following damaging losses to Chelsea and Leicester City.
Guardiola was derided after City’s 4-2 defeat at Leicester for saying he was “not a coach for the tackles”, but Wenger, often accused himself of prizing style over substance, came to his defence.
“Pep Guardiola, like myself, we are for offensive football and when you don’t win, people question that. And that’s as simple as that,” Wenger said.
“Overall, I think what he wanted to say is that he promotes a game that is positive and I agree with him on that. You respect him for that.”
Guardiola makes no secret of his admiration for Wenger and spoke out in support of the Frenchman in 2014 after he was branded a “specialist in failure” by long-time nemesis Jose Mourinho.
“This life,” Guardiola said at the time, “is not just about winning trophies.”
Ahead of today’s encounter, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach hailed Wenger anew.
“He has been here a long time. When that happens at a club such as Arsenal, it’s because a person is doing a good job,” Guardiola reportedly told his pre-match press conference.
“I understand it’s not easy to win the Premier League, but I have a lot of respect for his career.