Leicester City manager Brendan Rodgers has lavished both Manchester City and boss Pep Guardiola with praise ahead of the two sides going head-to-head on Saturday afternoon, insisting that his opposite number is the “best” manager in the world. Rodgers, speaking in his pre-match press conference on Thursday afternoon, as quoted by Leicestershire Live, said: “They’re an incredible team. They have the world’s best manager, so it’s always a huge challenge. Their squad play the best positional game.
Brendan Rodgers said “They have the technique and hunger, and that’s why they’ve been so successful. You know you are going to be restricted on the ball, but when you have it, it’s having that confidence. You have to be concentrated. They have special talents who can make the difference. You need to defend well, play well, get a bit of luck, and take the opportunities.”
On Guardiola’s managerial qualities,
Brendan Rodgers continued: “Pep’s an incredible coach, a pioneer for the modern game. It’s about numbers, creating overloads, but principally looking to have the ball as much as they can. He’s always had little slants about where the full-backs are. They’re a team of talented players with a talented coach who can maximise what he gets out of those players. We will look to be competitive.”
To date, Rodgers and Guardiola have gone head-to-head eight times during their managerial careers and it is the latter that currently holds the upper-hand, winning four of their meetings, with Rodgers coming out on twice and the remaining two tussles ending level.
