'I love Pep - it's out of my hands if someone wants to damage that'

Arsenal head Mikel Arteta has played down talk of a feud pinch Manchester City leader Pep Guardiola, saying he "loves" his erstwhile workfellow and cannot power attempts to "damage" their friendship.

Speaking connected Friday earlier City's travel to Newcastle, Guardiola said he had been provoked into a "war" pinch Arsenal pursuing past Sunday’s action-packed 2-2 draw betwixt nan teams astatine Etihad Stadium.

Arteta, responding to accusations from respective City players of employing 'dark arts' to take sides a 2-1 second-half lead, told reporters connected Tuesday that he had "all nan information" connected them pursuing his three-and-a-half twelvemonth spell arsenic Guardiola's adjunct - comments which besides upset nan City boss.

"I've admired him since I was 10 years old," Arteta said connected Saturday. "I respect him profoundly. I'm truthful grateful for everything he did for maine and continues to do for me.

"If personification wants to harm nan relationship, that's not successful my hands. The emotion [of affection] is profound. [Guardiola] knows it, nan unit cognize it because I still [speak] pinch them today, and pinch nan board, nan ownership – pinch everyone."

Arteta's latest comments came aft his broadside scored doubly successful stoppage clip to gain a dramatic 4-2 triumph astatine location to Leicester.

"The affirmative power is feeding retired of nan nine astatine nan moment," erstwhile Arsenal winger Theo Walcott told Final Score. "It is moreover bigger to get nan triumph because Man City dropped points [at Newcastle] today.

"In my clip [at Arsenal], location was an constituent of: 'Can we do it?' What Mikel has instilled is that belief that they will do it."

After nan verbal jousting betwixt Arteta and Guardiola this week, BBC Sport takes a look astatine immoderate of nan Premier League’s different large managerial rivalries down nan years.

This epic rivalry began successful Spain, coming to a caput erstwhile Guardiola's Barcelona took connected Mourinho's Real Madrid successful nan 2011 Champions League semi-final.

Mourinho accused Guardiola of criticising referees, to which Guardiola delivered an expletive-laden response. "Off nan pitch, he has already won. I grant him a Champions League trophy for victories successful nan property room," he added.

The 2 managers locked horns again successful nan Premier League while Mourinho was successful complaint of Manchester United, pinch Guardiola’s City winning 3 of nan teams' six meetings during nan Portuguese's Old Trafford tenure.

Mourinho's squad were City's closest pursuers successful 2017-18 arsenic they vanished 2nd - but he was sacked aft a mediocre commencement to nan pursuing campaign.

Never 1 to clasp backmost post-match - peculiarly if his squad had conscionable been beaten - Mourinho exchanged words pinch Conte moments aft a humiliating 4-0 conclusion connected his return to Stamford Bridge pinch Manchester United successful October 2016, apparently unhappy pinch nan Italian's celebrations towards nan extremity of nan game.

The pursuing season, Mourinho accused immoderate of his managerial rivals of "acting for illustration clowns" connected nan touchline - successful an evident excavation astatine Conte and Liverpool leader Jurgen Klopp.

Conte responded by reminding Mourinho of his ain misdemeanours during his managerial career. He took things a measurement further successful 2018, calling nan Portuguese "a small man" and "fake".

Rafael Benitez's Liverpool were apical of nan Premier League successful early 2009 but Sir Alex Ferguson's United were basking connected their heels successful second.

Benitez appeared to ace nether nan unit during a bizarre property convention successful January, during which nan Spaniard produced a database of "facts" relating to Ferguson's evident power complete lucifer officials and nan shot authorities.

Ferguson's team, arsenic they truthful often did, would travel retired connected apical astatine nan extremity of nan campaign, finishing 4 points up of Liverpool.

He later wrote successful his autobiography: "The correction [Benitez] made was to move our rivalry personal. Once you made it personal, you had nary chance. I had occurrence connected my side."

In stylistic terms, Arsenal and Bolton were astatine other ends of nan shot spectrum successful nan mid 2000s - nan Gunners were free-flowing and fluid, nan Trotters were beingness and direct.

However, Arsenal won only 1 of their 8 matches against Bolton betwixt September 2004 and February 2007, pinch Allardyce's broadside victorious successful 4 of those games. The rivalry continued during Allardyce's clip astatine Blackburn.

In his autobiography, Allardyce wrote: "I enjoyed beating Arsenal much than anyone erstwhile I was successful complaint astatine Bolton. We’d really sewage to them and Arsene Wenger hated us."

Speaking successful December 2016, Wenger admitted that a 2-2 tie astatine Bolton successful 2003 - which costs nan Gunners dearly successful nan title title - still wounded him, saying: "You person awkward moments and you ne'er hide them. It's a scar connected your heart."

Bold, brash, backed by Roman Abramovich's millions and - successful his ain words - "special", Mourinho was ever apt to win astatine Stamford Bridge aft arriving successful June 2004.

There ever seemed to beryllium a communal respect betwixt Mourinho and Ferguson - little truthful betwixt nan Portuguese and Wenger.

Branded a "voyeur" by Mourinho aft criticising his antagonistic strategies successful 2005, Wenger said nan Chelsea leader was "out of order" and "disconnected pinch reality".

The feud continued erstwhile Mourinho returned for a 2nd spell astatine Stamford Bridge successful 2013, pinch nan Portuguese calling Wenger a "specialist successful failure". In 2014, nan brace had to beryllium separated connected nan touchline during a heated brushwood betwixt nan 2 London rivals.

The Premier League was dominated by Manchester United and Arsenal successful nan precocious 1990s and early 2000s, pinch nan 2 teams winning each title betwixt 1996 and 2004.

English shot fans knew small astir Wenger anterior to his assignment arsenic Arsenal head successful October 1996, but nan Frenchman was speedy to make an belief - and ruffle 1 aliases 2 feathers among his rivals.

After Wenger had suggested that a norm alteration to nan fixture scheduling would use United, a furious Ferguson retorted: "He has nary acquisition of English football. He has travel from Japan and now he is telling america really to organise our football.

"Unless you person been successful nan business and had nan experience, past he should support his rima unopen - firmly shut."

Having held a 12-point lead complete Manchester United successful January 1996, Kevin Keegan's Newcastle were being chased down by Ferguson's relentless Red Devils during nan 2nd half of nan campaign.

As nan play entered its last straight, Ferguson suggested that Leeds and Nottingham Forest - 2 of Newcastle’s last 3 opponents - would not effort arsenic difficult against nan Magpies arsenic they would against his ain team.

Keegan snapped, telling Sky Sports aft his team's triumph complete Leeds: "[Ferguson] went down successful my estimation erstwhile he said that. I'd emotion it if we hit them – emotion it."

United would extremity nan play 4 points clear of Keegan's team.