Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta declared William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes have a "happy marriage" as he backed his defenders after their public spat at Leicester City.
A heated coming together between the pair at the end of Arsenal's 1-0 win on Saturday came to light after the game, but Arteta insists it should be viewed as a positive.
With Arsenal hunting down a first Premier League title since the 2003-04 season, Arteta said there is no room for "robots" in his team.
He wants to see personality, even if it means his players jostling each other on the pitch at times.
"They are a happy marriage," Arteta said. "They love playing with each other, but they are very demanding with each other. This is good and everything's fine.
"I don't want robots, I want players with feeling, with passion, that demand from each other. At the end they have that chemistry. Those two certainly have that chemistry on and off the field."
Arsenal had the likes of Kolo Toure, Ashley Cole and Sol Campbell in their last title-winning defence, and Arteta is glad his team have similarly imposing personalties.
The Gunners face Everton on Wednesday, and victory would take them to 60 points from 25 games. They would be matching a club record, having also totted up 60 from 25 in 2003-04 and 2007-08.
Arsenal have won 99 of their 203 league games against Everton (D43 L61), and can become the first team in English league history to achieve 100 victories against an opponent.
They lost 1-0 at Everton at the start of February, however, in what was Sean Dyche's first game as Toffees boss.
This time, Arteta says it can be a different story as his side attempt to pull five points clear of Manchester City.
"It's a case of doing things better than we did when we played them a few weeks ago and earning the right to win the game," he said. "Hopefully tomorrow we'll play better than we did.
"With Sean it's quite clear what he's done and where the success they've had is coming from.
"With every manager it's the same. We have to look at certain matches and try to get the right tactics to beat them but also the same mentality and high expectation that we demand in the game."
While Arsenal flourish, the same cannot be said for London rivals Chelsea, who are withering in mid-table despite a huge spend on new players.
Arteta feels empathy towards beleaguered Chelsea head coach Graham Potter, who revealed last week he has received malicious emails wishing death on him and loved ones as the Blues struggle to find form.
Although he declined to say whether he experienced similar during his own difficult times at Arsenal, Arteta made it clear he understood the pain Potter is experiencing.
"Absolutely, we are colleagues," Arteta said, "and we all know the pressure and the demands and the uncertainty this industry has.
"At the end the ball has to go into the net. There are many factors that sometimes prevent it that you cannot control. Of course, you empathise because you suffered it, and you know how it is when you're going through these moments."
Arteta has managed to switch off when away from work, even when he was facing pressure to deliver results. Consecutive finishes of eighth, eighth and fifth have preceded this season's concerted title tilt.
"You can have difficulties in your job and challenges which we do, when you lose but when you're winning as well, because this job is so demanding," Arteta said.
"But you cannot destroy your life because of that. Your family, your friends, your loved ones don't deserve it to affect their lives in such a negative way because you don't win a football match.
"That balance in my case was critical, but you need some help. Sometimes when you are in that position, it's not easy to see it."
Real Madrid hit Twente for seven, five-star Wolfsburg also win big
Real Madrid had six different goalscorers as they trounced Twente 7-0 in the Women's Champions League on Wednesday, while Wolfsburg beat Galatasaray 5-0.
Signe Bruun opened the scoring three minutes into the Group B encounter at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, then Maria Mendez's header gave Madrid a 2-0 half-time lead.
Madrid, who had won one and lost one of their opening two games in the tournament, got a third through Naomie Feller five minutes into the second half, then Caroline Weir made it 4-0 with a brilliant free-kick.
Mendez headed home her second of the encounter shortly after the hour mark, while Oihane Hernandez and Carla Camacho got on the scoresheet late on to complete the rout.
The victory took Madrid second in the Group B standings ahead of Chelsea's trip to Celtic.
Wolfsburg were also convincing victors in Group A, getting off the mark for this season's competition as Rebecka Blomqvist scored a hat-trick in their 5-0 thrashing of Galatasaray.
The Bundesliga side – who failed to pick up a point or score a goal in their opening two matches – had a narrow 1-0 lead at half-time through Joelle Wedemeyer, before Blomqvist took centre-stage in the second period.
She tapped home after Janina Minge struck the crossbar, then added her second goal in the 77th minute and her third six minutes into stoppage time.
Vivien Endemann powered home a fifth for Wolfsburg one minute later, as they provisionally moved within three points of Lyon and Roma ahead of their meeting.
Taylor pleased with City's physical test during Hammarby win
Manchester City head coach Gareth Taylor was pleased with how his team stood up to the physical challenge of Hammarby in their 2-0 Champions League victory on Tuesday.
City's win extended their unbeaten start to the season, having won every game in all competitions following a 2-2 draw against Arsenal on opening day.
“Difficult game for us, physical challenge, a physical team in Hammarby. I think they outnumber us a little bit in terms of size, considering when you look at our midfield. But I thought the girls handled it really well," Taylor said after the game
“I thought we dominated the game. In the early parts we were just a little bit off in our final action. We just needed to speed up a little bit in terms of being on the end of it, and we spoke about that at half-time, and we score with Laura getting into that type of position we’d been talking about.
“[The physicality was something] we were prepared for, but dealing with it is a different thing. Having Bunny [Khadija Shaw] and Alanna [Kennedy] on the pitch, two of our more physical players, is really important, particularly for set-plays.
“At 1-0 we were defending a couple of scenarios like that, Yama [Ayaka Yamashita] making a really good save at one point. Then Aoba [Fujino] got the goal that maybe allowed us to change things up a little bit more, get some people off that we’d like to manage.
“I think the girls have dealt with it really well tonight. We expected it, we thought it would be difficult, and they rose to the challenge.”
The victory leaves City top of their Champions League group with a 100% record after three matches, three points above second-placed Barcelona.
Taylor had made changes to City's starting XI, with Lauren Hemp among the trio to drop out from the weekend and she did not feature in the squad. Ahead of their weekend game against Chelsea, who are second in the WSL, Taylor explained the reasoning behind Hemp's absence.
“We’ve just got an issue with Lauren that we just need to analyse a little bit further, that’s all," he said.
“It’s something that potentially happened in the Palace game [on 3 November]. She was able to play in the Tottenham game [last Friday] but wasn’t able to tonight, so we’ll just take a little bit longer to assess and find out more.
“Hopefully [she can play against Chelsea]. There’s an opportunity there, we’ll just have to take a moment tomorrow, have a good conversation and find out where we’re at with the medical staff.”
Arteta: Saka and Rice injuries do not look good
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta did not have a positive outlook when questioned about Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice's respective injuries following their 1-1 draw at Chelsea on Sunday.
Saka was taken off in the 81st minute, having earlier received treatment on a problem with his leg, while Rice left the pitch 10 minutes earlier having been playing with a broken toe.
While their injuries represent a problem for Arteta, both Saka and Rice were included in the England squad to face Greece and the Republic of Ireland.
It could be a blow for England interim manager Lee Carsley, with Arteta doubtful they will be able to contribute.
"It doesn't look good because for two players of that importance to say they want to come off is unusual," Arteta told reporters after the match. "I don't expect them to be fit [for the international break] because if not, they don't come off."
Saka has already missed two games for Arsenal this season, having picked up an injury during the previous international break. The Gunners have had to deal with numerous injuries to key players, including that of Martin Odegaard, who made his first start for the club since August on Sunday.
"What I'm praying for is that after the international break, we have the team fully physically equipped, that they are available and that they are fit because it's been a nightmare for eight weeks," he added.
"Doubt after doubt, issue after issue, not only with the ones that are not able to play but with the ones who are able to play."
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