Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol reveals the most challenging defense they've encountered, and it's not Arsenal

Surprisingly, this particular tale does not revolve around Arsenal this time. Over the weekend, Manchester City managed to salvage a late draw against Arsenal in a highly-anticipated match that was dubbed an early title showdown. Despite being down to ten men in the first half, Mikel Arteta's team put on a defensive masterclass that has earned them well-deserved praise.

One Premier League supercomputer puts Manchester City as favourites for the title following the pair's recent stalemate, though Rodri has since been confirmed as suffering an ACL injury in the clash. 

Manchester City defender reveals toughest opponent

The Gunners conceded the fewest goals in the Premier League last season, with David Raya claiming the Golden Glove award despite spending the start of the season as Aaron Ramsdale's understudy. They were the only club in the league not to concede to City last season, either.

Still, Gvardiol says that another team were much harder to play against. 

Having witnessed the defensive masterclass in his own backyard, Italian outlet Gazetta Della Sport has revealed that the 22-year-old named Inter Milan as the toughest backline he has faced in his early City career.

The two sides met in matchday one of this season's Champions League group stage a the Etihad in a repeat of the 2023 final which saw City complete their famous treble. The sides slogged out a goalless draw, with Pep Guardiola's side seemingly unable to break down an impenetrable Inter backline.

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Journalist Riccardo Trevisani revealed that Gvardiol was very complimentary of the Italian Champions following the draw. 

“I met Josko Gvardiol in the restaurant and he told me: ‘No team in the Premier League has ever faced us the way Inter did’. Inter came out of Manchester with a sense of boldness that killed them off,” Trevisani said. "If you add up psyche and physique, Inter were not in the best condition. Even City struggled to put in two level performances, by the 97th minute they were down.”

VIDEO: How Arsenal's 10 Men Nearly Pulled Off The Impossible Against Man City

FourFourTwo guesses that the Croatian's assessment came last week in the aftermath of the Champions League tie, before Arsenal rocked up to the Etihad and put 11 men behind the ball for an entire half.

We'd love to know what he thinks now…