Friday night’s game at the Etihad Stadium wasn’t just between Manchester City and Arsenal, it was between the two best teams in England right now.

It’s no coincidence that it was master against the apprentice either. The Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was spotted, nurtured and mentored by Pep Guardiola as he started his managerial career.

At the time when Arteta was Pep’s number two at City, I heard only good things about the man from San Sebastian. The players loved him and clearly Pep did too.

When the opportunity came for the apprentice to go out and plough his own furrow, it didn’t take him long to get one over on his old boss, as he led the Gunners to a 2-0 FA Cup semi-final win, at an empty Wembley, against City. His team went on to win the Cup against Chelsea.

As this Premier League season kicked off, back in early August, Manchester City would have been everyone’s favourites to win the title for the third year in a row with Liverpool, Chelsea and United all being ahead of Arteta’s team in the expected outcome. His team has surprised everyone.

How have they done it?

One key factor could be the signing of Gabriel Jesus and Oleks Zinchenko from City. A bit like a six pointer, those two players switching from the Etihad to the Emirates strengthened one title rival while weakening the other, in my opinion.

Zinchenko and Jesus were the game changers for City against Aston Villa on the last day of last season when the Blues came from behind to retain their title. I’ve always been a fan of both players.

The Ukrainian Zinchenko is carrying a lot of emotion on his young shoulders as his countrymen defend their borders from the invading Russians and he seems to have channelled that stress onto the pitch. His passion shines through in every game and he’s loved by his teammates, as you saw at the conclusion of Friday’s game, when his former City colleagues emotionally embraced him at the end of the game.

Gabriel Jesus was one of the leaders of the “press” that City have been so good at in recent seasons. The Blues always looked a better side when he played. As soon as he was wearing the red of Arsenal he played with that same energy and team ethic, which allied to his great mobility and the flexibility in his play, helped lift Arsenal to another level.

This season, City’s are trying to play in a slightly different way, with a lot of emphasis on using Erling Haaland’s amazing ability as a goalscorer, but they seem to have lost a little of the variety in their play that players like Jesus, Zinchenko and Raheem Sterling (another summer departure) offered.

On Friday night, at the Etihad, City fielded (what many would consider) their strongest starting eleven, with the exception being Ederson in goal. Arsenal left key players out. City narrowly won the game. What I learned from the first meeting of the two clubs battling for the Premier League title this season, is that there’s not much between them.

Right now, Arsenal have the points advantage, City might have a slight psychological advantage from their first on field encounter.

Will Pep Guardiola regret allowing Arteta, Jesus and Zinchenko to reunite at Arsenal?

Judging by his comments at the press conference ahead of Friday’s game, he won’t. His humanity shone through when asked that question. His respect for all three was clear to see and I’m sure he’ll be the first to sincerely congratulate them if they lift the trophy in May.

That doesn’t mean he won’t do everything within his power to try to stop them. The next big meeting between Arsenal and City is at the Emirates on Wednesday 15 February. I can’t wait! 

🏃 Tour of Tameside 2023 🏃

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