At a Glance:
- Pep Guardiola explained how Manchester City would have received plenty of stick had they lost to Arsenal.
- Guardiola had his say on how the masses would have perceived their mentality.
- The Manchester City boss’ claim showcases the unjust criticism of Arsenal.
Having won just one out of their last six fixtures in all competitions, Arsenal will be getting stick left, right and center as their season has unexpectedly taken a turn for the worse.
Simon Jordan questioned Arsenal’s mentality after their 2-1 defeat against Manchester City as he felt the Gunners were making a meal out of their quest to win silverware this campaign.
After all, Mikel Arteta’s side lost the Carabao Cup final to City and were knocked out of the FA Cup in the quarter-final by Southampton recently as well.
Even Arsenal legend Ian Wright felt his former club look nervous and admitted to losing faith in the side on Stick To Football.
"It's falling away…" 💔
— The Overlap (@WeAreTheOverlap) April 16, 2026
Wrighty fears Arsenal’s title dream is slipping. 🥲 pic.twitter.com/LUzNug2a0F
“We’re in a position that we’ve been in three times before. Why should I say to people that come up to me, ‘Don’t worry, have faith?’ We haven’t played any kind of football to beat a team in a way where [I can say that to someone]. We can’t get through the nervousness.”
Pep Guardiola exposes the hypocrisy of Arsenal’s mentality getting stick
Pep Guardiola embodies an elite mindset but in his latest press conference, the Manchester City boss claimed how his side’s mentality would be slated had they drawn to Arsenal.
Kai Havertz’s wastefulness against Manchester City, especially in the dying embers of the contest when his free header was not even on target saved the hosts’ blushes at the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola said via BeanymanSports: “If Havertz [scored] the header in the last minutes where we didn’t defend the cross, what would be our ‘mentality’? What would it be? I know perfectly what would our mentality be; ‘They don’t have composure, it’s not an experienced team’. People talk about, ‘Ah, they have two [shots hitting] the post’, we had two against the post too. The game was so tight, and the margins define many, many things…”
It is difficult not to agree with the Catalan tactician and ultimately, it is also important to remember that Arsenal are in pole position to win the Premier League and the Champions League this season.
The North Londoners’ recent result may not inspire much confidence in their fans currently. But Arsenal are still topping the league table and demolished Champions League semi-final opponents Atletico Madrid in October.
As a result, it would be quite lazy to simply claim Mikel Arteta and Co will fail to get over the line, especially taking into account how they could very well have earned a result against City.
Man City (1.55) 2-1 (1.93) Arsenal
— The xG Philosophy (@xGPhilosophy) April 19, 2026
Arsenal (1.55) accumulated a superior xG against Manchester City (1.93) and their brave approach exemplified the team’s persistent never-say-die attitude to make history this term.
What Mikel Arteta has done to lift Arsenal spirits behind the scenes
Arteta has given Arsenal’s squad a break for two days following their loss to the Sky Blues.
It seems like Mikel Arteta has attempted to lift the spirits of his players. With Arsenal still having plenty to play for this season, the Spaniard’s players must feel mentally fresh and hungry in their forthcoming games.
Arsenal fans will now be hoping that their side can come back with a bang against Newcastle United and prove their doubters wrong.
