Mikel Arteta has disclosed that when Manchester City won the Premier League this season, he contacted his former teammate Pep Guardiola to offer his congratulations.
After Arsenal's 1-0 loss to Nottingham Forest last Saturday, Man City won the championship for the third year in a row, capping an exciting battle.
Before taking over as manager of Arsenal, Arteta worked as Guardiola's assistant coach at Man City. He showed his appreciation for his former boss and acknowledged the effort and hard work needed to attain such achievement.
Arteta stated in a statement to Sky Sports: "I contacted him to thank him and the crew because people could think things happen for them automatically.
"They put in so many hours of effort, how much suffering they endure, and how much they have to think and think... and make an effort to consistently spread the winning mentality they are practicing.
"Congratulations, this is sport, you have to say at the conclusion. He is one of my closest friends. He is someone that I respect and like both personally and professionally.
"So when you are in reach, you have to take all of the positive things that we've done in the season and how far we've come, and some [lessons] for sure to be better."
Arsenal had a record-long lead in the Premier League title race (248 days), but their performance dipped toward the end of the year. At the Etihad Stadium in April, they suffered a notable 4-1 loss to Guardiola's Man City.
The Gunners' comeback saw them defeat Chelsea and Newcastle twice, but they still needed Man City to slip up, which they did not.
Arteta emphasized the significance of recognizing the positive aspects of their season and benefiting from their experiences, despite Arsenal's regret at not winning the title.
He continued, "They deserve it, plain and simple," in reference to City's victory. 38 games is a true number. We regret some of the blunders we made against Liverpool when we were ahead 2-0, against West Ham with the penalty, and against Southampton when it was 3-3.
"Even if we had won every game, it wouldn't have been enough. The level is as follows. There is no room for error; everything must be flawless.
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