Mikel Arteta may be tired of the dark arts talk but he has been energised by the increasingly spicy rivalry with Manchester City.
The Gunners boss, speaking ahead of Saturday’s visit of Leicester City to the Emirates Stadium, believes that a bit of needle between rivals is much better than patting one another on the back in congratulation.
Yet he insists that his friendship with Pep Guardiola, whom he served as assistant for three and a half years, will not be destroyed by their battles.
“I love him, I respect him, I admire him and I admire his team and everything that he does,” Arteta said. “This is sport. One thing is our profession another is our personal relationship.
