'I love him!' - Mikel Arteta insists Arsenal's title fight with Man City will not affect relationship with Pep Guardiola as he claims mind games cannot be taken personally

Premier league title rivals City and Arsenal played out a dramatic, and at times heated, 2-2 draw last weekend - with both sets of players nearly coming to blows at the Etihad. Despite multiple City players criticising the Gunners' tactics, alongside rows taking place on the pitch, Arteta still has the utmost respect and admiration for his fellow Spaniard Guardiola - a man he worked under at City before joining Arsenal in 2019.

When asked about Guardiola, he told reporters on Friday: "I love him, I respect him, I admire him and I admire his team and everything that he does. This is sport. One thing is our profession, another is our personal relationship.

"If our relationship was damaged because one draws and the other one wins or the amount of times that they've beaten us, I would not talk to him any more. So that's not our relationship, especially the relationship that I consider both of us have. In sport it will never get in my way, a personal relationship, that's for sure. If you don't like opinions then you shouldn't be sitting in the position that I am.

"It's quite simple. Don't take it personally. It's part of our job. The things that you really care about, make sure you handle them in the right way. That relationship I really care about."

Ultimately, football is a results business, where teams try and win at all costs. Arsenal are trying to dethrone defending Premier League champions City and lift their first league title since 2004. Winning trophies is the ultimate goal but it seems Arteta still holds Guardiola in high esteem.

Arteta's fourth-placed Arsenal return to Premier League action on Saturday at home to lowly Leicester City, whereas Guardiola's table-toppers City have a tough trip away to Newcastle United on the same day.