Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has commended Italian manager Antonio Conte at English Premier League (EPL) leaders Chelsea ahead of the mammoth league clash between both sides at the Etihad Stadium.
The match, which has been billed as a ‘potential’ title decider and a top of the table clash, sees Manchester City (who has 30 points from 13 games and are in 3rd position) take on Chelsea (with 31 points from 13 games in 1st position. Many football pundits view the match as the battle of the two favourites for the league crown.
Guardiola’s word of praise for the aforementioned Conte, who has made a fast start to life in the EPL with 10 wins, 1 draw and 2 losses from the opening 13 league games of the season, came about during his pre-match press conference ahead of the huge match with Chelsea.
In his words, Guardiola said: “Conte is one of the best coaches in the world right now.”
“It is the first time we are going to face each other — it’s good to play against him.
“He made an exceptional job in Turin and in the national job. It doesn’t matter if it is Serie A or the national team, you realise his strengths.
“He has started here with maybe not good results, but they have won last seven games, conceding one goal. That says a lot about how good they are.
“They were contenders to win the Premier League from the beginning. Now, maybe more than before. It’s a good test for us.” he further added.
