Pep Guardiola makes brutally honest Mikel Arteta admission ahead of Arsenal vs Man City

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has lavished enormous praise on Arsenal and Mikel Arteta ahead of their Premier League showdown at Emirates Stadium on Sunday afternoon.

Before Liverpool's surprise Premier League title win last season, both Arsenal and City sides had been locked in two successive title battles, with Guardiola's men emerging victorious on both occasions. Yet Arteta has managed to get the better of his former boss in direct encounters in recent years, with the Gunners remaining undefeated in their past five meetings against City.

The Etihad Stadium has witnessed two consecutive stalemates, whilst Arsenal have defeated their opponents 1-0 and 5-1 in the previous two campaigns on home turf. The latter victory occurred just seven months ago, and Guardiola disclosed what he thinks went awry in that match.

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He has also been extremely generous in his assessment of Arsenal's transfer market activity and the work of Arteta and his coaching team.

"The last 15-20 minutes were a disaster," he said when discussing the 5-1 loss last season. "We forgot to do what we have to do. After that, it was easy for Arsenal," reports Football London.

"Hopefully, it is an unbelievable squad, and this season we can make more of a challenge because Mikel is an extraordinary manager.

"They increase the squad in four or five transfer windows, it is an unbelievable squad and unbelievable team. It is one of the toughest opponents you can find right now in Europe.

"Step by step, window by window, Arsenal is getting better. Last season in Europe, they made an incredible step forward. For me, it is the most solid team; they don't make mistakes, it's an incredibly solid team.

"They have pace up front. They have set pieces with Nico [Jover], who was here, in every department we know. I know the quality they have.

"We'll see what we have to do and how players are fit, are expected to play a role in deciding the winner, with Arsenal in a good place for one of those, and we try to complete and be a better team than last season, especially in the last 20, 25 minutes."

Current form and squad fitness is anticipated to determine the outcome, with the Gunners well-positioned in one area but potentially struggling in another.

Arteta has watched his team ship just one goal this campaign whilst claiming victory in four of their five matches, netting 11 times in the process.

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