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Shortly after Pep Guardiola watched his Manchester City side consign Arsenal to their worst start in 67 years, the City boss, almost apologetically, threw his weight behind Mikel Arteta.

The Gunners manager was already put on the Emirates ropes by consecutive 2-0 Premier League defeats away to Brentford and at home to fierce rivals Chelsea. While he and his beleaguered Arsenal side were still reeling from those losses, Guardiola watched his reigning Premier League champions smash five goals past Arsenal at the Etihad Stadium.

Arteta’s tenability waned with every ruthless City goal and the Spaniard looked like he had been beaten black and blue on the blue side of Manchester. But when Arteta was at his lowest, Guardiola leapt to his former assistant manager’s aid like he was talking to the Arsenal board himself.

“All I can say is we worked two or three years together,” Guardiola passionately said in defence of Arteta. “What I learned from him is that he’s a good manager. The character, the personality, leading.

“He’s incredibly loved by all of us. We were sad when he left and sometimes people expect or want results immediately.

“The squad today is not the team like he dreamed because they have six, seven, eight injured. Important players, really important players, like Ben White, Thomas Partey.