The two were involved in a fierce rivalry contest in the Premier League on Sunday.
The game ended 2-2, but not without controversy, after Arsenal played the entire second half with ten men.
“The opponents can play how they want to, it’s up to us to handle them,” said the City boss days after the game.
"With Mikel, we texted each other. The relationship, it doesn’t change.
“If they decide to play in that way, it’s more than perfect. It’s fine. I wasn’t able to do that, but they were brilliant. It’s about us, how we can break them down and we did it really well in many things.
“It’s not the first time in eight years here. Do you know how many times we’ve played against teams that play that way? Millions, millions. It’s about us, that’s why it’s a challenge for us.”