Kevin De Bruyne unsurprised at Mikel Arteta’s success with Arsenal

Manchester City star Kevin De Bruyne is not surprised by Arsenal’s strong start to the season, as Mikel Arteta encourages good football style.

The Gunners are currently top of the Premier League after nine games, having lost just once, they are one point above City, who have won seven games and two draws this season.

The Spaniard became Arsenal boss after three years as part of Pep Guardiola’s coaching staff at City.

The Gunners are currently top of the Premier League, one point ahead of City under Arteta

De Bruyne had seen his progress at the Etihad and expected Arteta to do well as a manager, given the time that Arsenal did.

When asked if he was surprised by Arsenal’s start to the season, De Bruyne told Sky Sports via Daily football: ‘No not really. Of course I see a lot of similarities with the way we play, but that’s always been his style.

“When he stopped playing and he got the chance to come here, I thought it was a good learning experience and of course we had some great years.

Arteta was part of Pep Guardiola’s Man City coaching for three years before moving to Arsenal

“I saw an evolution from Mikel’s inception until after three years when he left.

“In the beginning he adapted, but then he got more and more into his role.

“We also saw that he had a lot of ambition and when an opportunity presented itself, he grabbed it.

“It’s nice to see that he has been given the time by Arsenal. I’m happy for him that things are going well.

“They play very, very, very good football. Hopefully they’re just not good enough for us.’

The top two of the league table will both be in action on Sunday, with Arsenal looking for seven wins across all competitions if they head to Leeds, while City head to Liverpool in the weekend’s standout game.