Mikel Arteta must rise to fresh Pep Guardiola challenge

Within his first six years in the league, Michael Jordan had started his ascent to cultural icon status. The NBA's 1988 MVP was a perennial scoring champion and All-Star, but the great Chicago Bull had not yet felt he'd garnered the respect of his superstar peers.

"There was no way I was going to get into their circle without winning a championship when at least one of them was still on top," Jordan said as his hunt for a maiden ring entered the 90s.

The North Carolina hotshot joined a league dominated by Larry Bird's Boston Celtics and Magic Johnson's LA Lakers. Drafted by the dumpster fire Bulls in 1984, Jordan was light-years away from a title. By 1991, he was the face of the NBA and preparing for his first Finals appearance after the Bulls finally cast aside the 'Bad Boy Pistons' in the Eastern Finals.

"If both of them had been gone by the time we started winning championships, I'm sure there would have been talk about how I hadn't been able to beat Magic and Larry in their prime," Jordan added, well aware of how significant the Bulls' 4-1 triumph over Magic's Lakers was for his legacy—the first of six championships.

"By going through the Lakers, there was nothing anyone could say."

Mikel Arteta must rise to fresh Pep Guardiola challenge

Now, you might be thinking what the hell Arsenal Football Club and Mikel Arteta have got to do with Michael Jordan's quest for a maiden title, but news of Pep Guardiola's contract extension got me thinking. Arteta nor Arsenal should fear the Spaniard's prolonged stay, but relish the challenge.

2024/25 is not their last shot at downing perhaps the greatest team in Premier League history. There are more opportunities for Arteta to enhance his legacy by not only delivering the Gunners their first title in over 20 years but toppling his supposed mentor while doing so. City are the 'Bad Boy Pistons'- esque hurdle Arsenal need to usurp; Pep's the all-time great standing in Mikel's way—Magic/Bird.

News broke on Tuesday of Guardiola's extension which will see him spend more than a decade in Manchester. Arteta operated as the Spaniard's assistant for just a brief part of his tenure and has since shown himself to be much more than a mere disciple—even if Pep's influence was initially distinct.

Arsenal have twice fallen short in title tilts with the Cityzens, and there was an expectation for the Gunners to go one better in 2024/25. With 28 games remaining, the Gunners have a nine-point deficit to make up, but they're not trailing the all-conquering Sky Blues. A Liverpool team emboldened by fresh ideas are leading the way instead.

Guardiola's champions have manifested vulnerabilities previously unforeseen since the Spaniard's debut season, with the absence of Rodri in midfield costing them dearly. But at what point can you write them off? Even if Guardiola's extension points towards the acceptance of a transitional 2024/25, City's hunger for silverware and ability to win relentlessly when they find their groove means they may well end up claiming a fifth-straight title—even if by accident.

Guardiola's extension means City won't be going away anytime soon, and we can expect the perennial champions to be rejuvenated in 2025 and beyond. Injuries and sub-par squad building has left them short this term, but we can't bank on City to endure similiar misfortune and malpractice during the final years of their great manager's reign.

Pep's extension has laid down the gauntlet for prospective competitors who are bound to attack from the Mersey and various boroughs of the capital. Arteta and his team have previously stood up to the country's supreme force, but now's the time for the Gunners boss to start carving out his legacy by toppling the Premier League's genius tyrant.

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