Pep Guardiola will have a lot to learn about life in the Premier League when he eventually confirms what we all suspect will be his next managerial destination.
The current Bayern Munich coach is hotly tipped to be unveiled as the next Manchester City manager in the coming months.
Guardiola will join the ranks of various other European coaches who will be joining a club with no previous experiences of life in England’s top flight when he rocks up to the Etihad.
He’ll have to get used to life without a winter break as he has enjoyed in Germany and Spain previously, and many other quirks to life in the so called ‘best league in the world’.
But helpfully a soon-to-be-rival is offering him some advice.
Jurgen Klopp is only three month into life at Liverpool, but the German coach has explained that Guardiola may have to get used to two-legged semi finals in the Capital One Cup for example, as well as trying to manage a massive squad to deal with the huge fixture congestion.
The German led his side to a 1-0 win over Stoke last week in the opening leg of their last four encounter in the old league cup, which had some friends back in Germany thinking he’d already booked his team’s place at the Wembley showpiece,
“I don’t have to tell Pep Guardiola anything because he is that experienced. The number of games is the biggest difference. When I came here, I didn’t know there were two rounds in the semi-final of the Capital One Cup. I had people in Germany last week saying: ‘Yeah, you’re in the final again!’ Idiots!
“In Germany, when you tell people about the FA Cup that if you draw you play again they say: ‘What?’ Here you have penalties and extra time, but only after the second game. That’s the thing, the number of games – football, football, football. With a perfect pre-season you are prepared for a long, long journey. We knew about it, but to feel it is different.”
Klopp is still getting used to life at Anfield but at least it’s not all bad. The German is enjoying the food in this part of Europe, if not at least the weather that Ireland and the UK often experience,
“Pep is so experienced, for sure. I’m sure he will buy a few players and have a good team, have 35 players or whatever! What I can say about here is very positive. It’s a great country, great people, the food is much better than everybody said and the weather is not great, like everyone said.”
Pep’s been warned.
