Mikel Arteta goes 'full Pep Guardiola' in interview after Palace 0-1 Arsenal | OneFootball

Mikel Arteta has produced the perfect Pep Guardiola impression following Arsenal’s win against Crystal Palace, and it has - unsurprisingly - gone viral within the Emirates fanbase.

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The Spaniard’s side continued their flawless streak in the Premier League by earning two wins from two as Martin Odegaard’s 53rd minute spot kick opened and closed the scoring against their cross-London rivals Crystal Palace.

Arsenal seemed to be in cruise control as their captain dispatched their penalty, but proceedings changed when Takehiro Tomiyasu was shown two yellow cards in seven minutes which resulted in an early bath for the Japan international.

Despite playing out the remaining 23 minutes with one less man, the Gunners stood firm to ensure they left west London with all the spoils.

Following their opening 2-1 triumph against Nottingham Forest, they are in the exclusive two-wins club alongside Brighton & Hove Albion and Manchester City.

Coming up, the English stalwarts have consecutive home fixtures against Fulham and Manchester United to deal with, though Arteta will expect to coup six points from both.

What did Mikel Arteta say after the game?

It was a great result for the Emirates-based outfit and, as mentioned earlier, they now find themselves in a strong position going into the next game week.

While one would expect Arteta to be jubilant in his post-match interview, the clips show that the apprentice has taken a tip or two from his former master, considering how he reacted to the uninspiring questions asked.

“Grit and character to see that game out after you went down to 10 men.” exclaimed the reporter.

What was Arteta’s response you ask?

“Great win, I’m so happy.” he said, as stubborn as you like.

“What was the most pleasing aspect of the performance?” Arteta was asked.

He replied in Guardiola form: “Under any circumstances, you win.”

You can watch Arteta go full 'Pep Guardiola mode' below.

It was scarily like watching Guardiola with a full head of hair.

Guardiola has been known for his hilariously blunt answers in post-match interviews, and it seems that Arteta has begun to follow suit.

You can watch a compilation below of all of Guardiola’s (best?) bits from interviews below.

Any guesses of what his favourite word is?

The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich has been praised for how reserved he is often after thumping teams from minute one until the final whistle, though some feel that he is purely hiding his deeper emotions.

Comparisons have been drawn between the Manchester City chief and his former understudy before and the latest clip to emerge further proves that Arteta is a carbon copy.

But in fairness, who wouldn’t want to be like Guardiola?

There’s little doubt that Arteta is a fantastic manager in his own right, but it would be naïve not to notice the uncanny similarities between the Spanish duo, both on and off the pitch.

Arsenal have become an entirely different entity in recent years despite having a period of struggle when Arteta first took over the north London reins from Unai Emery.

In 2022/23, the two sides were head and shoulders above the rest and embarked in a two-horse race for the best part of the season and pundits and fans alike have tipped Arteta’s lot to emulate their success from last term again.

Vincent Kompany – who is now in charge at Burnley – has previously spoken about the pair and how Arsenal’s Arteta was ‘an extension of Pep’ during his time in Manchester.

“Like any good coaching staff is supposed to work, he was definitely an extension of Pep, probably the one in the coaching staff that was closer to the players, and understanding fully what Pep wanted as a manager,” Kompany said (via The Independent).

“You could see Mikel was in that transition moment from being a player to being a coach. He was hungry, he was very active, full of energy, and obviously he was in a good environment to develop and grow his own ideas.

“I’m not surprised he’s been doing well with Arsenal, and definitely he’s going to continue doing well, there’s no doubt about that.

“He’s got the energy and especially the resilience to deal with setbacks and keep going, draw his own conclusions and improve. That’s why I think he’s doing so well with Arsenal.”

The former Manchester City captain topped the Championship last campaign by some margin and is now rubbish shoulders with the big boys in England’s most prestigious league competition.

Although they opened their Premier League account with a 3-0 loss to his former side, plenty of positives can be taken as they held their own against the treble winners for the most part.

The Manchester pals often went head-to-head last season with a lot to play for, which meant all the friendliness was put to one side for 90 minutes.

But this doesn’t mean that Guardiola’s kind words to his compatriot can be downplayed as he has claimed that Arteta has turned Arsenal into a completely different beast.

Ahead of their all-important Premier League fixture last season, Guardiola gave an endearing verdict of Arteta’s time in charge in London.

“I think the development of the club since he took over is obvious, it is the reality. I don’t have to change what I think,” said the Manchester City boss (via Manchester Evening News).

“When you talk about the work of a football manager, I am a trainer, not manager. I have the feeling Mikel changed the structure of the club.

“He has changed a lot of players. He has been supported by the hierarchy of the club and that is why the success is there. Before it was a top six, now a top eight because Newcastle United is there and for every year it will be more and more difficult and Arsenal in the last years always was there, and this season make another step because all season has been there. I have been impressed; they have been really good.”

Guardiola has been persistently full of praise for his former assistant coach, though the tea and cakes are exchanged for boxing gloves on every occasion the two square up, and the 2023/24 campaign will be no different.