Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has played down talk of a feud with Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola, saying he “loves” his former colleague and cannot control attempts to “damage” their friendship.
Speaking on Friday before City’s trip to Newcastle, Guardiola said he had been provoked into a “war” with Arsenal following last Sunday’s action-packed 2-2 draw between the teams at Etihad Stadium.
Arteta, responding to accusations from several City players of employing ‘dark arts’ to defend a 2-1 second-half lead, told reporters on Tuesday that he had “all the information” on them following his three-and-a-half year spell as Guardiola’s assistant – comments which also upset the City boss.
“I’ve admired him since I was 10 years old,” Arteta said on Saturday. “I respect him profoundly. I’m so grateful for everything he did for me and continues to do for me.
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“If someone wants to damage the relationship, that’s not in my hands. The feeling [of affection] is profound. [Guardiola] knows it, the staff know it because I still [speak] with them today, and with the board, the ownership – with everyone.”
“The positive energy is feeding out of the club at the moment,” former Arsenal winger Theo Walcott told Final Score. “It is even bigger to get the win because Man City dropped points [at Newcastle] today.
“In my time [at Arsenal], there was an element of: ‘Can we do it?’ What Mikel has instilled is that belief that they will do it.”
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After the verbal jousting between Arteta and Guardiola this week, BBC Sport takes a look at some of the Premier League’s other big managerial rivalries down the years.
SALT LAKE CITY – Roman Dolidze beat Kevin Holland with a first-round TKO Saturday on the main card at UFC 307 at Delta Center in Salt Lake City.
Take a look inside the fight with Dolidze, who got the win when Holland’s coach stopped the fight after the first round due to a rib injury.
Roman Dolidze def. Kevin Holland
Roman Dolidze
Result:Roman Dolidze def. Kevin Holland via TKO (injury retirement) – Round 1, 5:00 Updated records: Dolidze (14-3 MMA, 8-3 UFC), Holland (26-12 MMA, 13-9 UFC) Key stats: Dolidze’s takedown led to nearly three minutes of control time and may have done something to help cause Holland’s fight-ending injury.
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Dolidze on the fight’s key moment
Kevin Holland after UFC 307 loss to Roman Dolidze
“Honest answer: No, (I wasn’t unsatisfied). A win is a win. I don’t want to create a beautiful image (of my win), but it is how it is. We all get something happen with us – I have torn biceps, torn chest, a lot of different crazy injuries. I know how it is.”
Dolidze on getting his black belt
“They didn’t expect. I can expect everything, but not black belt. It’s like out of nowhere. All of these (jiu-jitsu) belts, I wasn’t thinking about it. And now black belt. It’s a big gift.”
Dolidze on what he wants next
Robert Whittaker vs. Khamzat Chimaev
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“I would like to fight in December (against) the winner or loser of the Khamzat (Chimaev) and (Robert) Whitaker fight because both of these fighters are incredible – good fighters. I respect them, and as always, I want to test myself with the best. I think these guys are best in our division.”
To hear more from Dolidze, check out the video of the full post-fight interview above.
UFC 307 images
For more on the card, visit MMA Junkie’s event hub for UFC 307.
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SASHA ATTWOOD has been key in keeping boyfriend Jack Grealish’s spirits high after he missed out on a Euro 2024 spot for England.
The childhood sweethearts first started dating when they were teenagers at school together in Solihull and have now announced the arrival of their first child.
She’s got more than 264,000 followers on Instagram – where she regularly shares stunning selfies and snaps.
ALL THE FALLOUT
ENGLAND fell at the final hurdle at Euro 2024, losing to a dramatic late Mikel Oryazabal winner as Spain won the tournament.
Much like her partner, Sasha hails from Birmingham.
In December 2023, The Sun revealed that around ten relatives were cheering on the Manchester City star in his televised match at Everton when they heard noises upstairs and dogs barking frantically.
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Read More on Jack Grealish
The terrified family then hit panic buttons as a gang of burglars looted his new home.
The shaken group — including fiancée Sasha Attwood, his parents, gran, two sisters and brother — dashed for cover at the unfamiliar mansion which Jack moved into just before Christmas.
Despite extensive security and perimeter fencing around Jack’s lavish home, the crooks got in and fled with £1million of watches and jewellery.
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A source told The Sun: “The family are really shaken.
“The gang took a lot of watches and jewellery.
“They executed their raid when Manchester City were playing live on TV and all his family had gathered downstairs to cheer him on.
“No one was injured but there was a lot of panic.
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“Everyone was terrified as they were all so vulnerable.
“It’s an enormous property, so it is understandable why no one heard anything at first.
“It was also the first time the family had visited so they were unfamiliar with the property.
“When the dogs went mad, and they could hear people creeping about, they pressed the security panic alarm.
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“An emergency unit responded immediately, with multiple police cars and a chopper deployed. Initially, they feared they could be facing a hostage situation or worse.”
Jack and model and influencer Sasha bought the “exceptional modern” seven-bed mansion set in 24 acres last year but have only just moved in.
However, that gave him the chance to enjoy some R&R alongside his long-term partner – and support her as the pair revealed in July, 2024 they were expecting a baby.
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Sasha took to social media to share the news with her followers.
She captioned a picture of the baby bump with: “Half of me , half of you – beyond blessed ✨🤍🙏🏻”
On October 7, 2024, Grealish announced on his own Instagram their daughter had arrived.
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The doting father shared an image of the baby gripping a finger with the caption “Mila Rose Grealish 27/09/24”.
When did Sasha Attwood start dating Jack Grealish?
Sasha and Jack Grealish have been together since they were 16.
They met while attending St Peter’s Roman Catholic Secondary School in Solihull, West Midlands.
It is not known if they remained as a couple for all of that time.
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Meet the WAGS of the England footballers
England Wags range from childhood sweethearts to recently blossoming love stories.
The fitness instructor has been married to the England captain since 2019 and joined him in Germany with their four children after he joined Bayern Munich.
Middleweight contender Roman Dolidze handed Holland a rough loss this past Saturday at UFC 307, with their bout ending at the very end of the opening round when it was ruled Holland could not continue due to a rib injury suffered while Dolidze attacked him on the ground. Holland looked like he wanted to come out for Round 2, but the bout was eventually waved off.
Holland later replied to an internet troll on Instagram, who wrote him a vulgar message (screenshot courtesy of The Fight Bubble):
Holland captioned the Instagram Story post, “Can’t have a response to everyone but yeah I feel like a total piece of shit. My bad to all the ones who put some bread on the line or told they friend I was gonna win. I’m a p*ssy.”
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The screenshot also contains a DM reply from Holland, in which he wrote, “I feel like a piece of shit. Rib pain like a vagina.”
With the loss, Holland has now dropped three of his past four fights competing in both the middleweight and welterweight divisions. The extent of his rib injury is unknown.
City were charged and referred to an independent commission in February 2023 following a four-year investigation.
It is alleged City breached the Premier League’s financial rules between 2009 and 2018.
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“I don’t think this will have too much of a direct impact but this will probably give Manchester City a slight bounce because they’ve been found to be correct in a couple of narrow areas,” said Leaf.
“But equally, I think the Premier League will be relieved, especially after the recent Leicester decision where their rulebook was heavily criticised by an esteemed panel.”
He was referring to Leicester’s successful appeal against an alleged breach of Premier League financial rules – which means they are set to avoid any punishment.
Leicester successfully argued that because their 2022-23 accounting period ended on 30 June, they were not longer bound by Premier League rules – because they had just been relegated to the Championship – and so could not be found in breach.
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Leaf added: “The fact that the majority of the Premier League’s rules have been found to be lawful and OK will probably come as a relief to them.”
BBC Sport’s chief football news reporter Simon Stone said: “The fierce manner in which City have responded to the verdict, allied to the knowledge they are currently fighting the substantive issue of 115 financial breaches, suggests they have spotted a weakness in the Premier League’s regulations which they will look to exploit as far as they can.”
England’s Morgan Gibbs-White, Ezri Konsa and Kobbie Mainoo have been ruled out of England’s Nations League games in October.
The Three Lions host Greece at Wembley on Thursday before playing Finland in Helsinki on Sunday.
Interim manager Lee Carsley is not planning to add anybody to the squad in their place.
The other 22 players named in his initial squad have all reported to St George’s Park.
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Nottingham Forest midfielder Gibbs-White, who made his England debut last month, was injured while having a shot blocked in their 1-1 draw with Chelsea.
Aston Villa defender Konsa suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday’s goalless draw with Manchester United.
United midfielder Mainoo was replaced in the closing stages of that match.
We want your predictions for Saturday’s UFC Fight Night 244 event in Las Vegas.
Our staff picks feature includes the consensus picks from MMA Junkie readers. Simply cast your vote for each bout below, and we’ll use the official tallies that are registered by Thursday at noon ET (9 a.m. PT).
Those reader consensus picks will be part of the main card staff predictions we release ahead of UFC Fight Night 244 (ESPN/ESPN+), which takes place Saturday at the UFC Apex in Las Vegas.
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