**Mikel Arteta** opened up about the departure of **Pep Guardiola** from **Manchester City**.
The _Citizens_ clash with **Arsenal** for the **Community Shield** on Sunday afternoon, and **Enzo Maresca** will be in charge of the club. That means the legendary Spaniard figure will not present in the managerial position for the first time in a decade, having arrived at the **Etihad Stadium** in 2016.
·**‘He’s been a pleasure’**
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Arteta knows the former City manager well from years of challenging for the **Premier League** crown, and he was proud of beating his compatriot to the title in his final campaign. But he also knows him having been part of the backroom staff for the _Citizens_ between 2016 and 2019 before he returned to the **Emirates Stadium**. So, there was plenty of praise for Guardiola during the press conference.
_“I’m probably going to fall short in the way I can praise what \[Pep\] has done. First of all for the_ **_Premier League_**_, for the country, the way he has opened a different way of understanding the game, and I think he has escalated the_ **_Premier League_** _to a different level._
_“He has brought standards to something that we haven’t witnessed before; I was very lucky to be part of it for four years and to understand and witness how it’s done daily. It’s remarkable, it’s unique, and I’ve always said before that I think he’s the best coach in the history of football for many reasons._
_“I know the standards. They had the backroom, the stability, the quality to go and do it again, so it’s been a real challenge, but as I said, I took it in a way that regardless of what happened, this would make us better and push boundaries time after time in every department of the club, to try and reach this level._
_“When I arrived here, I had a sense, in terms of distance and years, of how far we were behind, because I was there to witness the daily operation and the level to be able to win it. To do it in the time that we’ve done it, I think we should feel proud._
_“You could sense it in the last year that there could have been a situation of it happening, but with someone like \[Pep\], he could wake up in the morning and be so excited about what he sees around him and carry on doing it - as he has done for 10 years, which nowadays is something just incredible._
_“He’s done it in many different countries and leagues, but in a really consistent and sustainable way, which is the hardest thing to do. I think he’s going to be missed in the_ **_Premier League_** _- I don’t know if as coaches we’ll miss him so much! It’s so difficult to play against him and to compete in the manner that he does with his teams._
_“First of all, I have gratitude for the time I have had with him, which was incredible and then because I think he's elevated all the coaches and teams to work in different ways, and he’s made all of us better. He’s been a pleasure.”_