Guardiola: "Parking a bus? So what?"

A strange derby between Arsenal and Manchester City is behind us. With a goal in stoppage time, Gabriel Martinelli rescued Arsenal, and yet, even though they were saved in the final minutes, the impression is that a Gunners’ triumph would have been more deserved than a potential Citizens’ victory.

Because we witnessed an unrecognizable performance from Pep Guardiola’s side, with City defending a one-goal lead by every means available, failing to hold on to the ball for longer stretches, and unable to impose their rhythm and possession even in short spells.

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Reports about Guardiola parking the bus in his own penalty area echoed across Europe, and of course journalists were curious about what happened to the Citizens, who had possession for only a third of the match.

I take my hat off to my team for their resistance. It’s very difficult to play when the high press doesn’t work, it creates problems in our build-up play. We made certain changes. I think the result is fair. Overall, Arsenal was the better team,” said Pep, and then reacted to the reporters’ remark about the bus: “Once in ten years is not bad, right? I also need to prove myself when the setup is different. Now I’m the transitional team, you know that?”

It sounded as if Pep was alluding to some of Arsenal’s past performances in recent years, when Arteta would “shut up shop” against the favored City while gradually building the Arsenal we saw yesterday. In any case, last night Arteta became the only manager to avoid defeat against Pep Guardiola in five consecutive league matches. Arteta’s starting XI practically slept through the first half, but after the break Eze and Saka came off the bench to wake up Arsenal, who pinned City back into their own third.

“A point is the least we deserved. I’m proud of my players, of the way we played, of the fact we dominated almost every aspect of the game. I’m disappointed we didn’t win,” said the Spaniard, before explaining the situation with the conceded goal: “We had a five-against-two situation, there was a lot of battling for the ball, and in that instant, in that split second, Haaland kept running forward and they attacked the space brilliantly – that’s the quality they have.”

The Arsenal manager listed City’s chances, and it didn’t take long.

“One from a corner, another from a counterattack, and one more from our own gift. And that’s it. To limit City like that, hats off to the boys. We played better than last season when we beat them (5–1). Much better.”