17 April 2025
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta credited his compatriot, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, for his team's qualification to the Champions League semi-finals after overcoming Real Madrid. Arsenal romped to a 5-1 aggregate victory over the Royals in the quarter-finals, setting up a meeting with Paris Saint-Germain in the next round.
Following Arsenal's 2-1 second-leg victory on Wednesday, Arteta said in statements reported by renowned Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano: "If I'm here now (in the semi-finals), it's thanks to Pep Guardiola... I spoke to him this morning. I'll always be grateful to him." This wasn't the first time Arteta acknowledged Guardiola's influence on him during this encounter. After the emphatic 3-0 first-leg victory at the Emirates Stadium, the Spanish coach revealed that he consulted Guardiola to prepare for this football battle.
Arteta said at the time: "Over the last few days, I've spoken with Pep. I wanted to discuss it, and I think he wanted to too. It's great to learn from the best, and I'm very lucky to have great people around me who have helped me a lot."
It's worth noting that Arteta worked as Pep Guardiola's assistant at Manchester City for three years before leaving for Arsenal to take over as manager of the London club.
