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It’s mentor versus protégé once again this weekend, as Arsenal take on Manchester City — but there’s a long-standing misconception about what Mikel Arteta’s time under Pep Guardiola was truly about.

Rumours and assumptions often move faster than facts in football. It’s easier to draw conclusions from what we think we know rather than waiting for confirmation from those directly involved.

Mikel Arteta once declined an opportunity from Arsenal before they later passed on him — if reports are to be believed. A decade ago, the Spanish midfielder ended his 17-year playing career at the Emirates Stadium, having earned his coaching qualifications and impressed those around him. It was often said that Arteta played the game like a manager in disguise, and it’s no surprise that he was offered a position in Arsenal’s Hale End academy system. He turned it down.

Instead, Arteta answered the call from his boyhood idol, Pep Guardiola, joining the Manchester City coaching team as an assistant. Two years later, he was interviewed to replace Arsène Wenger — the very man who had once brought him to North London. When Wenger left Arsenal after decades of shaping the club in his image, Arteta was among the more unorthodox candidates on the shortlist. Despite lacking managerial experience, he came with glowing endorsements from some of the most respected figures in football. Yet again, Arsenal decided against appointing him.

Just as in the mid-1990s, Arsenal hesitated. Back then, they chose Bruce Rioch to replace George Graham before finding the right fit with Wenger soon after. When Arteta finally arrived in 2019, the situation was different. Like Wenger before him, he had the time and space to mould the team in his own vision.

Many assumed Arteta joined City to learn Guardiola’s tactical secrets. But that was never the case. Guardiola himself clarified this in 2021, saying, “I didn’t inspire him.” It wasn’t an attempt to downplay Arteta’s abilities — quite the opposite. Guardiola had once called Arteta for advice on Chelsea while still managing Barcelona. When he later said, “He knows everything,” after a City win over Arsenal, it wasn’t meant as a patronising remark. It was genuine respect.

Over the last six years, the growing rivalry between City and an improving Arsenal has been framed as ‘Mentor vs Protégé’ — a narrative centred around Guardiola and Arteta. Their tactical battles have become the defining storyline, overshadowing on-field duels like Gabriel versus Erling Haaland or Bukayo Saka versus Phil Foden. Much like Guardiola’s past managerial rivalries with Jürgen Klopp or José Mourinho, this matchup is a clash of minds — though some still treat it as a contest between master and apprentice. For those people, Arteta is still seen as the assistant who once set up training cones for Guardiola.

Even Arsenal fans initially believed that hiring Arteta during Unai Emery’s turbulent final months was an attempt to replicate Manchester City’s style. He wasn’t chosen for his experience but for his footballing philosophy. Yet that belief overlooked something crucial — Arteta didn’t go to City to learn tactics; he went there to learn leadership.

Guardiola’s football isn’t built on aesthetics or ideology alone. His style, while beautiful to watch, is rooted in effectiveness. Over time, it has become clear that Guardiola, despite transforming football at Barcelona, is much more than a tactician. He shares more traits with Sir Alex Ferguson than many realised — a relentless drive to control every aspect of his team’s environment.

After experiencing burnout amid political tensions at Barcelona and friction with Bayern Munich’s hierarchy, Guardiola sought a club where he could be the undisputed leader. At Manchester City, he built a dynasty in his own image — just as Wenger did at Arsenal. That’s precisely what Arteta sought when he finally took charge of the Gunners.

In 2018, Arsenal wanted to move away from an all-powerful manager handling both recruitment and tactics. Yet under Arteta, they have effectively returned to that model — and it works. Beyond improving Arsenal’s footballing style, he united the fanbase, revived the home atmosphere, personally convinced transfer targets to join, and adapted his tactics as the Premier League evolved. Head coaches follow plans; managers create them. Like Guardiola, Klopp, and Ferguson before him, Arteta’s success has been built on the strength of his coaching team. Arsenal’s set-piece prowess comes from Nicolas Jover, while Carlos Cuesta — later recruited by Parma — played a key role in player development. Arteta often insisted that his staff be photographed alongside him when he received managerial awards, a gesture of shared credit.

Throughout his tenure, Arteta’s position at Arsenal has remained secure. He endured the challenges of the 2020/21 season, finishing eighth, and was supported through a difficult start to the following campaign. The club stood by him when he decided to part ways with captain and top scorer Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and backed him with significant transfer investment after consecutive second-place finishes. Even amid speculation linking Cesc Fàbregas as a potential successor if results dipped, Arteta’s job was never truly at risk. The board is already discussing a new contract and expects another title challenge next season, regardless of how this campaign concludes.

The narrative of a student surpassing his master is an enduring one, but sometimes, the student becomes a peer instead. While Arteta went to Manchester City to learn from Guardiola, Guardiola also learned from Arteta. The Arsenal manager is one of the few who has consistently pushed his old mentor to the limits of competition. Guardiola’s respect for Arteta runs deep — and their rivalry has evolved into one of equals. This weekend’s clash isn’t about a disciple facing his guru anymore. It’s Arsenal versus City — and the balance of power keeps shifting.