I have everything a manager could dream of at Man City, says Pep Guardiola
Sign up now: Get the biggest sports news in your inbox
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is now in his eighth season at City under Abu Dhabi ownership, and has won 16 major titles in that time.
PHOTO: REUTERS
LONDON – Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is thankful for the support he has at the club, saying that he is equipped with “everything a manager could dream of”.
Managing at the top level of football is a stressful and relentless job.
Even high-profile managers like Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp Barcelona’s Xavi Hernandez
Guardiola is now in his eighth season at City under Abu Dhabi ownership, and has won 14 major titles in that time.
“I have everything that a manager could dream of (at City),” he said as he looked ahead to their English Premier League home clash against Burnley on Jan 31.
“I have everything. The hierarchy they always support me. We have changed a lot of players in seven years, but all of them have been incredibly supportive.
“(It’s a) good environment, so I have everything. Still, I feel good and of course one day it is going to finish, but I don’t think about that right now.”
What the Spaniard is thinking about, is how to beat former City captain Vincent Kompany when the Belgian leads Burnley to the Etihad Stadium.
The two teams met in the opening weekend of the campaign at Turf Moor, where City won 3-0.
Heading into the second half of the season, City are finding their form at the best possible time. Guardiola’s men have won nine and drew one of their last 10 matches in all competitions, having scored 28 goals in total.
The last time they lost was a 1-0 defeat at Aston Villa on Dec 6.
However, City are trailing league leaders Liverpool by five points, while Arsenal and Villa also pose a threat in the title race in which Guardiola is aiming for a sixth title in seven seasons.
City will be the favourites for the clash, and they are also confident, as they have won 16 of their previous 17 fixtures against Burnley – including their last 12 in a row with an aggregate score of 43-1.
Guardiola is set to welcome star striker Erling Haaland back to his line-up after his recovery from injury, while defenders Manuel Akanji and John Stones could also return.
As for the away side, the Clarets are fighting relegation, but they have in fact done better in their away matches than at Turf Moor.
On the road they have accumulated eight points, while collecting only four at home – the worst among all teams.
“They’re a great side. They’ve got top players, a top manager,” said Kompany of City.
“The combination of that makes them very difficult to play against.... currently the best team in the world. But you can’t start the game defeated... we’re going there with every desire to get the most out of this game.”
In another game on Jan 31, Tottenham Hotspur will host Brentford as they keep up the fight for the top four.
Spurs have gone up and down in manager Ange Postecoglou’s first season in charge but they have played themselves into form, clinching 13 points from their last six league fixtures, including four wins.
