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After a nail-biting match where Arsenal was accused of stalling to protect their 2-1 lead after going down to 10 men, Arteta stood up for his team while throwing a playful jab at his old club.
Having spent four years as Pep Guardiola’s right-hand man, Arteta didn’t hold back when asked about the accusations. “I have all the information,” he quipped. “I was there for four years. So I know, believe me.” This cheeky comment came after City players, including Kyle Walker, grumbled about Arsenal’s so-called “dark arts” after Leandro Trossard was sent off, leaving Arsenal to defend with ten men. Walker found it frustrating, suggesting Arsenal were more about disrupting play than actually playing football.
But Arteta was quick to point out City’s own tactics, reminding everyone how they’ve often relied on “tactical fouls” under Guardiola, especially when Rodri was injured and they briefly played with ten men, stretching out delays themselves. Arsenal currently tops the Premier League’s time-wasting stats, averaging 33.5 seconds per stoppage, tied with Aston Villa. Still, Arteta waved off the criticism, insisting his team’s actions were just par for the course, like what any other side, including City, would do.
This clash at the Etihad wasn’t the first time Arsenal had a player sent off early against City, with Granit Xhaka’s infamous red card in a 2021 match still fresh in everyone’s minds. Arteta admitted his team has learned from past blunders, saying, “If not, I’d be thick — very thick.”
City fans were fuming over the constant stoppages, especially after four Arsenal players needed treatment in the second half. While David Raya managed to finish the match, Riccardo Calafiori, Jurrien Timber, and Gabriel Martinelli were subbed off, leading to accusations that Arsenal players were faking injuries to slow things down. Arteta was quick to defend his lads, stating, “I always prefer the facts to words or supposing things. Unfortunately, there will be a few players now not available.”
As Arsenal gears up for their Carabao Cup clash with Bolton, the injury list keeps growing. Arteta confirmed that captain Martin Odegaard is still nursing a knee injury, with others like Mikel Merino, Takehiro Tomiyasu, and Oleksandr Zinchenko also out. Young stars like Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri are set to step up in the cup tie as the Gunners aim to keep their momentum going amid this injury crisis.
With both teams claiming to play fair, who really knows how to master the “dark arts” of football?
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