Manchester City’s midfield maestro has previously opened up on how he truly feels about Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta amid all the talk surrounding their touchline bust-up on Wednesday night
Kevin De Bruyne may have had a run-in with familiar face Mikel Arteta on Wednesday night, but the Belgian clearly holds the Arsenal boss in high regard.
The incident occurred during the second half of the Gunners’ meeting with title rivals Manchester City at the Emirates on Wednesday night. The stakes were high considering it was a first versus second clash that saw Pep Guardiola’s side leapfrog Arsenal into top-spot with a 3-1 win in north London.
Kevin de Bruyne angrily pushed Mikel Arteta during a flashpoint in Arsenal’s clash with Manchester City ( Image: Amazon Prime)
While the game was evenly poised at 1-1, the tension inside the stadium was palpable and that seemed to translate both on the pitch and in the respective dug-outs. Arteta is often a fiery character in his technical area, but it was De Bruyne who let his temper get the better of him this time.
When the Arsenal manager tried to gently kick the ball away from De Bruyne’s path while he tried to retrieve it for a throw-in, presumably in an effort to slow the game down, the City ace reacted. He shoved a man that used to coach him at the Etihad, before wagging his finger in Arteta’s direction.
There were a few more verbals between the pair before De Bruyne eventually returned to action, though it is important to note that the duo smiled and embraced each other once the full-time whistle had been blown.
That kind of affection certainly seems more fitting considering it has only been four months since De Bruyne heaped praise on Arteta and explained how Arsenal’s remarkable form this season has not been a surprise to him after seeing how good of a coach the Spaniard was up close.
Speaking in October, City’s midfield magician told Sky Sports: “No, not really [it doesn’t surprise me]. I think obviously a see a lot of similarities with the way that we play, but that has always been his style so I think when he stopped playing and came here it was a good learning school.
“I saw an evolution from the beginning of Mikel to after the three years when he left,” De Bruyne added. “At the beginning, he was adapting but then he was getting more and more into his role.
“We also saw he had a lot of ambition and when an opportunity came he took that. It’s nice to see that he got the time from Arsenal. I’m happy for him that it’s going well.”
Things may not have been so friendly between the pair on Wednesday night, but given what was on the line that is understandable and their embrace at full-time suggests there is still plenty of goodwill towards one another.
Major Man City scandal update amid fears of Downing Street intervention
Premier League clubs are privately confident that state-to-state diplomacy will have no influence on the case against Man City, sources have told Football Insider.
The charges against City will be ruled on by an independent three-person commission selected by Murray Rosen KC, the head honcho of the Premier League’s judicial panel.
Rosen has a pool of 15 judicial panel members from which to nominate, all of whom are either third-party legal professionals, accountants or auditors.
But despite the autonomous makeup of the panel, some commentators have expressed concerns about the role the UK government’s relationship with Abu Dhabi – City’s de-facto owners – might play in proceedings.
Trade between the UK and the United Arab Emirates totalled £15.1billion in 2022, and the connection between the two has been described by officials from both nations as a “special relationship.”
Although it has made official claims to the contrary, it is now widely accepted that the UK government leaned heavily on the Premier League to green-light the Saudi Public Investment Fund’s takeover of Newcastle United.
But a source familiar with internal operations at the Premier League insists that there is genuine confidence that the arbitration process will be entirely independent.
The fact that the controversial Newcastle deal was approved at an executive level rather than by a judicial delegation makes it qualitatively different to City’s battle against the Premier League, it is claimed.
Football Insider also understands that the government department for Digitial, Culture, Media and Sport has no plans to rewrite the imminent white paper on independent football regulation in response to the charges against City.
Many have suggested that the Premier League’s announcement, which came days before the now-delayed white paper proposal was due, was a deliberate play to prove it can self-govern without the need for third-party involvement.
The independent commission theoretically has the power to relegate City, dock them of points, impose a transfer ban, or issue them with an unlimited cash fine – but it could take up to four years before the case reaches its crescendo.
City have already begun assembling an all-star legal team to defend the charges, headed up by Lord David Pannick KC.
In other news, pundit urges Kalvin Phillips to agree West Ham move after Man City source’s swap reveal.
Source: mirror.co.uk; footballinsider247.com
