‘Like You Pretend’—Pep Guardiola Snaps at Arsenal Quadruple Talk With Bizarre Claim

Guardiola and Mikel Arteta have discussed the current state of their friendship.

Pep Guardiola (left) had plenty to say about Mikel Arteta. | BeanymanSports/YouTube/Glyn KIRK/AFP/Getty Images

When questioned about Arsenal’s prospects of winning the quadruple this season, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola snapped back that he had already achieved that feat even though the media “pretend” that it never happened.

The quadruple of trophies which Arsenal are chasing consists of the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and Carabao Cup. No team in English soccer history has ever won all four major competitions in the same season and the Gunners still have a long way to go in their quest for the unprecedented.

However, Guardiola was in no mood to revel in the hypothetical success of his chief rivals, especially on the eve of the Carabao Cup final between the pair and so soon after City’s ambitions of winning all four trophies were emphatically extinguished by Real Madrid in the Champions League round of 16.

Guardiola was asked in Friday’s press conference how difficult it is to stack up a quartet of titles. “I mean, you’ve won a treble,” the journalist’s rationale went, “so you’ve come closer than anyone else.”

After a deep inhale of breath, Guardiola added: “And quadruple as well.”

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What ‘Quadruple’ Is Pep Guardiola Talking About?

Pep Guardiola’s trophy cabinet is well-stocked. | Visionhaus/Getty Images

As Guardiola subsequently clarified, he was referring to the 2018–19 season when City won four domestic trophies; the Premier League, FA Cup, Carabao Cup and Community Shield. That same campaign City crashed out of the Champions League quarterfinals at the hands of a Tottenham Hotspur side which finished 27 points behind them in England’s top flight.

“I know it’s not as prestigious, like you pretend,” he sniffed with a shrug of his shoulders, “but we did it.”

The importance of the Community Shield has been a major sticking point for Guardiola since arriving in England. The traditional season-opener is a one-off fixture between the top-flight champions and FA Cup holders. It has always occupied a nebulous status within the English game, floating awkwardly in the semi-friendly zone—much to Guardiola’s annoyance.

“When Manchester City win the Community Shield, it’s not a title,” he once seethed. “When another team wins the Community Shield, it’s a title.”

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta shares the same reverence for that particular crown, likely as a consequence of his time as Guardiola’s assistant manager at City. They have both come a long way since Arteta branched out on his own at Arsenal in 2019.

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How Guardiola’s Relationship With Arteta Has Changed

Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta look to be going head-to-head for the title. | Sports Illustrated

For Guardiola, his evolving relationship with Arteta is a question of logistics as much as anything. “I don’t have time to go to London, and I don’t think he has time to come to Manchester,” the City boss admitted.

“When we were here [at City] we saw each other five or six hours every day, so the relationship is completely different after his five or six years in London.”

Arteta accepted the geographic realities but added that his admiration for Guardiola, which has existed since he looked up to his compatriot while trying to replace him in Barcelona’s midfield, still remains. “The feelings from my side haven’t changed at all,” the Arsenal boss surmised.

“It’s changed in the fact that we’re never together—we cannot spend time together and that’s important for our relationship. But it’s not the most important thing, because what I feel about him and the time that we had together, what he did for me and the inspiration he’s been since I was little for me, that’s never going to change.”

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