Mikel Arteta’s immediate reaction to Arsenal’s shock defeat to Fleetwood has been revealed
Mikel Arteta handled Arsenal’s Carabao Cup exit with more composure than one of the most humiliating defeats of Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City era. League Two Fleetwood shocked the Premier League champions when they sent Max Dowman off late to progress to the quarter-finals after a 1-1 draw.
Bruno Guimaraes saw Fleetwood’s Conor Haughey parried by Jay Lynch before slotting home as the Cod Army stormed the pitch as they pulled off one of the most remarkable giant kills of the competition.
While Arteta was not universally popular with rival clubs and supporters, he showed his dignity after the defeat, with victorious Fleetwood manager Matt Lawlor praising the Spaniard’s good graces.
Lawlor said: “He shook my hand two or three times and he was really, really gracious. I can imagine it must have been a really frustrating night for him.
“But the way he’s been out there with class is amazing. I’d like to catch up with him and pick his brain, but he’s been really busy with the media and all the emotions that come with it.
“We couldn’t break through but he said we did a good job in the tunnel at short and how well we did, that’s obviously a show of his class.”
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It was a stark contrast to his former mentor’s behavior in 2018, when Arteta formed part of Guardiola’s backroom squad during City’s FA Cup defeat to League One Wigan. After Fabian Delph was sent off shortly before half-time, Guardiola and Wigan manager Paul Cook faced each other on the touchline.
The commotion spread to the tunnel area, where the BBC’s camera managers shouted at each other before workers separated them. Wigan won 1-0 thanks to Will Grigg’s early strike.
It’s important to note that this was not typical of Guardiola’s behavior in defeat, which he usually takes with dignity. However, it was in stark contrast to Arteta’s gracious response to the Fleetwood defeat.
The Gunners manager, who picked a strong side, said: “That’s why football is fun, especially in this competition and in this country, things like this.
“They believe in it and people have it historically. We didn’t want to experience it and we’re very sad, but we have to congratulate the opponent.”