Who the hell do you think you are, Pep Guardiola? Coming over here to The Greatest League In The World™ and implying that the football in other leagues in Europe is just as tough. Anyone would think you’ve got an impressive managerial CV and know what you’re talking about.
That’s right folks, Pep Guardiola has appeared to suggest that the vastly-superior Premier League – famed for its frantic, fast-paced football – is hardly any different to Spain’s Primera Division or Germany’s Bundesliga when it comes to the intensity of its football. The absolute cheek.
Guardiola was speaking to the media after the 1-1 draw with Everton on Saturday, when he was asked about the difficulties he faced when preparing his team to face old club Barcelona. As pointed out by the reporter asking the question, Barca had just eased to a 4-0 win over Deportivo la Coruna in a game akin to a recovery session.
“I hear a lot of times about that intensity of the Premier League when none of you have been in La Liga or the Bundesliga to know how intense it is,” Guardiola replied.
“Here, maybe the problem is more games. The way they play in Germany for example is <insert onomatopoeic word here> amazing.
“I think you have to have respect for the other leagues and the way they play.”
Discussing Barcelona, Pep added:
“Of course Barcelona is special, the way they play. They are a machine with three amazing players in front, they use an amazing counter attack, have a good build up… They are a good team. When they win 4-0, they deserve to win 4-0.”
Returning to his point about other leagues, Guardiola also pointed out the successes of Spanish clubs in European competitions:
“Why in Spain over the last the last six, seven, eight, nine years do they win or arrive in the finals and semi-finals of European competitions? I think it’s because they’re good. It’s because they have good players.”
Maybe he’s got a point.
You can watch him answering the question in the video below.
https://twitter.com/_CHarrington_/status/787707206875619328
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