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Mikel Areta: Pep Guardiola and I can be like Nadal and Federer
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Gab Marcotti and Julien Laurens discuss Kai Havertz's display in Arsenal's 3-2 victory over Kairat. (1:13)
Mikel Arteta has said failing to maintain his "great" relationship with Pep Guardiola amid a title race would set a "bad example" for sport and instead pointed to the respectful rivalry between tennis legends Rafael Nadal and Roger Federer.
The pair first met at Barcelona's La Masia academy when Arteta was just 15 years old and he later worked under Guardiola at Manchester City for three seasons prior to becoming Arsenal boss in 2019.
Mikel Arteta addresses Pep Guardiola 'mind games' after shock Arsenal claim
Mikel Arteta revealed he still speaks to Pep Guardiola and insisted that will not change despite Arsenal going toe to toe with Manchester City in the title race.
The pair are close friends after Arteta spent more than three years at City as Guardiola's assistant.
That relationship has been maintained since Arteta took charge at Arsenal in 2019, even with the two clubs challenging at the top of the Premier League.
Guardiola claimed last week that Arsenal are the best team in the world and Arteta was asked whether he thought that was the City boss playing mind games.
On whether the two managers are still able to speak away from the pitch despite their rivalry, Arteta continued: "Yeah, I don't talk [with him] like with my wife, but we talk generally. I think he talks about how he feels, and that's it.
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Arteta: Arsenal are 'far from perfect'
Arsenal are "far from perfect", despite their healthy leads in the Premier League and Champions League, so says Mikel Arteta.
The Gunners head into the weekend with a seven-point cushion at the top of the Premier League, albeit that could be cut to four points by the time they host Manchester United on Sunday.
They are also three points clear in the Champions League, with their midweek win over Inter meaning they are sure of their place in the top two of the 36-team standings.
Pep Guardiola labelled Arsenal as the clear standout team in England, and though they have a 93.1% chance of winning the Premier League title, according to Opta's predictive model, Arteta warned that his team are not the finished product.
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