BREAKING NEWS: Pep Guardiola has voiced his frustration, saying, “My issue with Arteta is that he sometimes goes off and does things his own way. I specifically told him to switch a player’s position yesterday—but he didn’t listen. He kept the player where I told him not to, and that’s exactly why they lost.” Pep didn’t hold back in revealing how much Arteta’s decision pained him.

Pep Guardiola recently opened up about a thorn in his side—one that goes by the name Mikel Arteta. Though once comrades on the tactical battlefield, Pep revealed a moment of tension that brewed just before Arsenal’s latest match. The issue? Pep gave his old protégé some solid tactical advice—free of charge—but Arteta, ever the maverick, chose to ignore it. That decision, according to Guardiola, may have cost Arsenal the game.

 

In his post-match conference, Pep didn’t hold back. He expressed his frustration over Arteta’s insistence on doing things his own way, even when that way leads straight into a wall. “He does things out of his own will,” Pep admitted, clearly stung. He’d advised Arteta to tweak a player’s position—a move he believed was vital—but Mikel stuck to his guns. And in Pep’s eyes, that stubbornness ended in defeat.

 

While Guardiola didn’t name the player outright—leaving room for speculation—sources close to the City bench whispered that it was Kai Havertz in question. Arteta had placed him deeper in midfield, a spot that doesn’t quite tap into Havertz’s instinct for goal. The result? A limp performance from the German, and a midfield that looked more ghost town than battlefield.

 

Havertz just couldn’t get a grip on the match. Pressed out of the game and disconnected from the attacking line, he seemed like a square peg forced into a round tactical hole. That misstep tilted the balance, and Guardiola couldn’t help but point out how costly it was. In games like these, the smallest shift can tip the scales, and Pep knew it.

 

Guardiola went on to drop a little managerial wisdom: sometimes, pride has to take a back seat. “It’s not about ego,” he said. “It’s about seeing the game for what it is. You’ve got people around you—trust them when they see something you don’t.” It was less a dig and more of a reminder, but the sting was still there.

 

Of course, this didn’t go unnoticed by fans or pundits. Some saw Pep’s comments as fair criticism, a cautionary tale about tactical rigidity. Others backed Arteta, admiring his willingness to live and die by his own footballing gospel. The debate crackled online, fueling questions about Arteta’s adaptability at the top level.

 

Now, all eyes turn to Arsenal’s next move. Will Arteta bend and reshape his strategy in light of recent events, or will he double down and forge ahead as planned? The pressure is mounting, and one wrong step could deepen the cracks already showing in the squad’s confidence.

 

Arteta, for his part, stayed cool. “I make decisions I believe are right for the team,” he said flatly, brushing off Guardiola’s shade with practiced calm. Respectful, sure—but unyielding. And so the story of mentor and pupil, friends turned rivals, writes another page in its ever-evolving saga.