“I’m very proud of the team… the way we played, we dominated them, and I’m very disappointed with the outcome,” Arteta told Sky Sports.
“We started off incredibly well, so again dominating, we were playing for half of them and not allowing breathing, but in one action, the ball bouncing back, so it’s very confusing.
“We had five minutes of volatile moments after that, but it was so unfair to acknowledge that goal that we were doing that we had to mentally reset. Then we once again had full control of the game.”
Rice: Arsenal is respected
Amidst the tactical changes in the character, Guardiola finished the game in a 5-4-1 formation with centre backs Josco Gvaldior, Reuben Diaz, Nathan Ake and John Stones on the field after swapping all three fronts.
Manchester City effectively restricted Arsenal as the hosts only managed 12 shots, three of which managed three shots on target, taking magical moments from Ebe Kieze and Martinelli.
However, Guardiola’s tactical switchover was not lost in Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice.
“I think we obviously got the respect of the opposition, back-to-front quality. In my time here at Arsenal, I don’t think we were controlling the game like the one we probably dominated today with Man City,” Rice told Sky Sports.
“We thought we passed in the first half and we did very well in the same second half, but that was always a threat of counterattack from them, and I think we deserve our goals in the end.
“I think the point is probably fair in the end, but we’d win that, because if we had lost it, we would have been really disappointed.”
Guardiola: “We’re incredibly tired.”
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Highlight: Haaland defeats another record and leads Man City past Debruis’ Napoli
Video Credit: TNT Sports
Despite his early exit from the League Cup and UEFA Champions League last season, the club’s participation in the FIFA Club World Cup in Manchester City meant they played 61 matches in 2024/25 and played only one pre-season match before a 3-0 victory over Premier League opener Palermo in this campaign.
“We were incredibly tired,” Guardiola told Sky Sports.
“The match against Napoli is very emotional and after that recovery day I have four or five hours to travel to London. It’s very difficult as Arsenal competed in the last two Premier League title races and reached the Champions League semi-finals.
“We’ve experienced a lot of fatigue in many players, and we’ve also got a lot of injuries.”
