Manchester City captain Ilkay Gundogan was not shocked by Mikel Arteta's ability to turn Arsenal into a title challenging side.
City meet the Premier League leaders next week.
Gundogan told Sky Deutschland: They have a coach who I respect and know well from his time with us. There are a lot of similarities with Pep.
Their approach is almost identical to ours and if you look at their first-team, it's clear that on a good day they can compete with any opponent.
You just have to look at the consistency with which both teams perform at the highest level. Arsenal play excellent football, have beaten many great teams.
And, of course, Pep knows exactly what to expect. This is where the two best coaches in the league meet."