Man City’s Pep Guardiola endorses Mauricio Pochettino as Man Utd make move for manager
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Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has extolled Paris Saint-Germain boss Mauricio Pochettino, who has been tipped to take over at Manchester United. The Red Devils are on the lookout for a new manager after sacking Ole Gunnar Solskjaer in the aftermath of their 4-1 thumping by Watford at the weekend.
Pochettino is the early favourite to land the top job at Old Trafford, with the club already attempting to attract him to Manchester twice before.
But, due to his lack of silverware elsewhere, questions have been asked about whether the 49-year-old would be able to lead the Red Devils to the trophies they crave.
Pochettino took the helm at PSG in January but failed to win the Ligue 1 title last season as the Parisians finished a point behind champions Lille.
The former Argentina defender did orchestrate success in the French Cup last term but that remains the only major trophy he has lifted during his entire career as a manager.
Pochettino failed to get his hands on any silverware during his five-year spell in charge of Tottenham and was unable to taste league or cup glory during his time at Espanyol and Southampton.
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But Guardiola, who has won a plethora of trophies since moving to the dugout, still believes Pochettino is a top manager.
“I’m pretty sure the managers get better every year,” Guardiola said this week.
“Every season we go through you have a lot of learning every season – I’m pretty sure he’s an excellent manager.
“Yes, you can be a top manager without titles – of course.
“The managers who have the chance to win titles are at top, top clubs, with good investments and exceptional players. Otherwise, it’s impossible to win.
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“That doesn’t mean the managers in the Championship or in the Premier League, but outside the top six at the top, cannot be excellent managers in tactics and communication, leading the team, as human beings. So it’s not necessary to win titles to be a top manager.
“It’s completely different – different countries, different players, shapes. Even with the same manager and same team it can be different in one year to another.
“New players, new management set-up, the situation is different – completely different to Tottenham when he was there.”
Guardiola is set to go head-to-head with Pochettino on Wednesday night when City host PSG in their penultimate Champions League group stage match.
The Citizens are one point ahead of their rivals at the top of the Group A table, but lost 2-0 to the French side at the Parc des Princes in September.
And Guardiola says he is expecting a tough encounter.
“Everyone knows the quality and personality that PSG and their players have,” Guardiola continued.
“It will be different to the last game against Everton with the players they have. I’m not judging them, but the players we will face are very different.”
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