Pep Guardiola will reach his 1,000th game as a manager when Manchester City faces Liverpool on Sunday at the Etihad Stadium. The milestone comes at a crucial moment, with Arsenal leading the Premier League and potentially extending their advantage to nine points if they defeat Sunderland beforehand. Guardiola told the Manchester Evening News after his team's win against Dortmund: «To be honest, I'm so excited and happy to live what I'm going to prepare the game on Sunday.» He added: «I'm looking forward desperately to play on Sunday again against Liverpool and we'll see what happens.»
Liverpool manager Arne Slot praised Guardiola's approach while delivering pointed criticism of other Premier League rivals. In an interview with Sky Sports, Slot said: «It's a joy to watch where so many other games are not, in my opinion, a joy to watch anymore.» He criticized the shift towards time-wasting tactics: «It's become more [about] time-wasting and things I don't like that much about the game, but which are very good tools to use to make it difficult for other teams if they play against you.»
Guardiola's tactical legacy
Slot highlighted Guardiola's tactical innovations and entertainment value. «Then when he went to his other teams, he also invented things like the inverted full-back. It's always something special if you watch a game on one of his teams,» the Liverpool manager told Sky Sports. He distinguished Guardiola from other successful managers: «A lot of managers win - but in the style he has won his trophies - that is why he stands out when compared to many others.»
Guardiola's enthusiasm appears renewed after 18 years in management, having started with Barcelona B in 2007. He has managed Manchester City for ten years and is contracted for an 11th season, with one year remaining on his current deal. The 1,000-game milestone reflects sustained performance at football's highest level. Slot noted: «I wonder if there are many managers that start their career now that will reach 1,000 [games], especially at the level that he's worked at, because it was probably already very hard to achieve that and there's a lot of sacrifices coming with that.»
Note: This article was created with Artificial Intelligence (AI).
