Mikel Arteta admitted to being "more than influenced" by Jose Mourinho and also addressed the "dark arts" allegations made by Manchester City players.
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Ten-men Arsenal held Man City to a 2-2 drawArteta took inspiration from MourinhoDismissed 'dark arts' claims by Man City playersFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?
Leandro Trossad was given the marching orders after he picked up his second yellow for kicking the ball away – an almost identical offence that led to Declan Rice's dismissal against Brighton earlier this month. This forced Arteta to take a leaf out of Mourinho's coaching manual and park the bus in front of David Raya between the sticks, in an attempt to defend the lead in the second half against a marauding City side.
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Arteta almost pulled off the stunt on rival territory but for John Stones who found a late equaliser deep inside stoppage time to earn a valuable point for the hosts. Nonetheless, credit must be given to the Gunners who dug deep and almost weathered the storm in a fashion that Mourinho would have been proud of.
WHAT ARTETA SAID
When Arteta was asked if Mourinho has influenced him, he replied: "More than influence, I think you learn a lot from other top coaches and you try to understand why they’ve been successful. But if it goes in a different direction, do you have the ability to adapt?"
DID YOU KNOW?
After the match, Stones created quite a furore by claiming that Arsenal have "done [dark arts] for a few years" as Rodri went out injured with a suspected ACL tear.
Arteta rubbished those claims and said: "I always prefer the facts to words or supposing things. Let's see who is available tomorrow and then we can talk about 'dark arts' or these things or if it's a reality. Unfortunately, yes there will be a few players not available. I don't know. It's opinions and that's it."
When asked if the Arsenal injuries were serious, he said: "We have to wait on one of them. As I mentioned before I think other things will be factors and that's it. We will use the facts. (What are the other factors?) Well, if a player is faking something that means he will carry on and be involved in the squad and play."
