Win or lose the title, this is the season Arteta has emerged from Pep's shadow

As a midfielder coming through Barcelona's youth ranks, Mikel Arteta was constantly compared to the great Pep Guardiola, who was then senior statesman for the Spanish club and Spain national team.

- Dan Kilpatrick

Decades later, their long-standing relationship led Guardiola to appoint Arteta as his assistant at Manchester City, and ever since the latter set out on his own as a manager in 2019, the Arsenal boss has faced accusations of "copying Pep".

Arteta has, in short, been measured against Guardiola since the start of his career, but whatever happens on Sunday, when one of the two will lift the Premier League trophy, there is no longer any doubt that the apprentice has emerged from his master's shadow.

There is hardly a professional coach in the world that has not taken something from Guardiola, although in Arteta's case there is substance to suggestions that he has tried to mirror his mentor.