Arteta defends Arsenal's tactics and admits he would have also used "dark arts" if he were playing.

There has been a lot of talk surrounding Arsenal's defensive performance against Manchester City, with many criticizing their tactics. However, Mikel Arteta has come to the defense of his team amid accusations that they resorted to "dark arts" to secure a point in Sunday's highly anticipated match.

Despite being denied victory with a last-minute equalizer from John Stones, City remains at the top of the Premier League, two points ahead of Arsenal, who are considered their main rivals for the title. The Gunners were forced to play defensively for the entire second half after Leandro Trossard was given a red card just before half-time.

Some have argued that Arsenal got what they deserved when they conceded in the final moments of the game, as they seemed to intentionally waste time by putting all their players behind the ball. However, Arteta passionately defended his team's approach, citing a previous 5-0 defeat against City as a factor that influenced their safety-first game plan.

"We had to play the game that we had to play," Arteta explained ahead of Wednesday night's Carabao Cup tie against Bolton. "In the first 10 or 15 minutes, we couldn't. But then, when we were 11 against 11, we got much better. Unfortunately, we were thrown into a different situation and had to adapt."

He went on to say, "Every team does what they need to in order to win. City played for 30 seconds with 10 men, and we had to do it for the entire second half. It's normal to do whatever it takes to get a result."

When asked about the comparisons being made between his tactics and Jose Mourinho's infamous "anti-football" approach, Arteta admitted that he has drawn inspiration from top coaches like Mourinho. "You learn a lot from all the top coaches and try to understand why they've been successful," he said. "You need to have the ability to adapt and be happy to play the game in any direction it goes, especially at this level."

Despite the criticism, Arteta remains confident in his team and their ability to compete at the highest level. "We've learned from the past, and we will continue to learn and improve," he stated. "That's the level we're at, and we have to be able to adapt to any situation."

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