DANNY MURPHY: I admire Mikel Arteta for having the courage of his convictions and backing himself to make tough decisions… he’s a serious rival to Pep Guardiola

Mikel Arteta would have learned a lot from Pep Guardiola at Manchester City but nothing is more important than having the courage of your convictions.

I was surprised when he signed David Raya last summer because I was impressed with Aaron Ramsdale, who clearly has many attributes for a goalkeeper, including organization and leadership.

Arteta backed himself into making the difficult decision as Guardiola had once done when offloading England number one Joe Hart at City.

I admire him in many ways because if you are a coach and you believe that there is a player who can improve your team, it is very important to trust your judgment when it doesn’t suit everyone.

There was a backlash and even now there will still be some Arsenal fans who will prefer Ramsdale. But Arteta was strong enough to make the decision for him and Raya’s heroics in the penalty shootout against Porto were probably the final vindication as the Gunners also have the best defensive record in the Premier League.

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I have seen that Arteta opted for Raya because he is superior to Ramsdale with his feet, but I think there was a broader reasoning than that. On the one hand, Ramsdale are technically good despite the recent mistake against Brentford.

I talk to goalkeepers who think Raya probably has a bit more of a physical and dominant presence when it comes to controlling his penalty area. He is brave and also clearly good on his feet. But the main difference is that Raya has a calming influence on the team.

The only problem that Arteta had was at the beginning of the season, when he stated that they were both number one. Most people in the game suspected that wasn’t the case. Raya has been one of the reasons why Arsenal go into this pivotal clash at the top of the table.

Unfortunately for Arteta, his former boss Pep is standing in the way of the title.

Most players would have loved to work with Guardiola. He certainly would. Even when he was a young player, he enjoyed the tactical side of the game and regularly asked questions to my coaches, like Steve Holland, to learn more.

I also responded to coaches giving me a kick in the butt and Pep seems to be that type of person more than a pat on the back. He demands the best and the consistency he gets from his players over months and years is an incredible skill.

His City team is always evolving to find different ways to dominate the ball and find a weakness in the opponent.

I liked his recent passionate conversation with Kevin De Bruyne after he took the player off against Liverpool. He might not have talked like that to a new signing, but he and Kevin know each other very well. Their exchange was real. He did not cross the line of discipline and, in fact, nipped the situation in the bud.

Guardiola has to be in the conversation with Sir Alex Ferguson as the greatest of all time. His greatest legacy is the influence he has had on English football from top to bottom.

In the lower leagues, more and more clubs are offering younger coaches the opportunity to develop players and fans want to be entertained. Guardiola caused that.

It is no surprise that many managers who have worked in the City group are doing well as managers, including Enzo Maresca at Leicester and Liam Manning at Bristol City.

Nobody has accepted him more than Arteta and now he is a serious rival for his mentor.

Sunday’s game is important for Arsenal. With games at Brighton, Tottenham and Manchester United coming up, they will be the clear outsiders should they leave the Etihad empty-handed. However, get a result and they will really believe it.

Most teams would be concerned about injury doubts for players with the quality of Kyle Walker and John Stones. But this does not seem to bother Guardiola’s team.

They are aiming to win their fourth consecutive league title despite having Erling Haaland and De Bruyne sidelined for long periods.

Even if they miss their two England international defenders, you wouldn’t consider players like Nathan Ake, Ruben Dias and Josko Gvardiol to be of poor quality. They are all talented players with a lot of experience in important games. If Walker fails, Manuel Akanji or Rico Lewis could come in at right back without disappointing anyone.