Arteta texts, Arsenal fall-out, Rodri blow - How Pep Guardiola pulled Man City through chaotic week

Pep Guardiola cracked a smile as he breezed into his post-match press conference on Tuesday night. There was considerably less interest in Manchester City's Carabao Cup win over Watford than there was two days earlier against Arsenal, and that meant fewer broadcast interviews to conduct.

So Guardiola was in a good mood, joking with reporters as he sat down that they will be back again the following day at this rate - that is how often he has faced the media lately given the turnaround of fixtures.

And as the press conference started, a more serious point. City had pulled themselves through the fixture chaos that should never have happened - but did so at a cost. Rodri is out for a 'long time', while Kevin De Bruyne is still not back in training and the ramifications of the public arguments with Arsenal will probably still be felt for some time.

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Guardiola moved quickly to dissipate the reaction, even as Mikel Arteta added some cryptic fuel to the fire on Tuesday in quotes released at the same time as the City boss sat down after Watford. "I have been there before. I was there for four years," said Arteta, apparently hinting at 'dark arts' by City as well as by his own side. “I have all the information. So I know. Believe me," Arteta continued.

It was an attempt to move on, while still leaving a final word in. Guardiola had a final word of his own, but this was more pragmatic (to use a new favourite word of his). Asked about the challenge of replacing Rodri, he turned his answer into one about Arsenal - revealing texts with