I learned a lot from watching Thomas Tuchel, says Pep Guardiola

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was full of praise for Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel, hailing the German as someone he learned a lot from. The two teams will face off in the final of the ongoing edition of the UEFA Champions League. Guardiola has emerged victorious in three of the four UEFA Champions League finals he has been involved in as a player and coach. The Spaniard will become one of the very few managers to have won Europe’s top competition with two teams.

“With football, one of the nicest things is talking about it. There’s watching and training and, after that, there’s talk. I would say I learn a lot from Thomas; I learned a lot watching his teams, with our conversations. It doesn’t matter if he has a lot of info about us or about me because, in the end, luckily for world football, he cannot play, I cannot play. So, in the end, the guys who are going to decide the final will be the players. I have a lot of respect [for him]; I think he is an exceptional, exceptional manager. And that’s all. So of course I want to beat him, like I guess he wants to beat me,” said Guardiola as quoted by the official website of UEFA.

The former Barcelona manager discussed the principles which he has looked to ensure at Manchester City.

“Strong organisation, a lot of investment, a lot of quality players, good fans, good backroom staff, a team with the principles to [be successful]: these are the most important ones. But you always have to take a look at the players that you have because if the players don’t adjust or adapt to the principles or the way you want to play, it’s more difficult. Some things come from where I was born: Barcelona. You know, trying to have a living role in the game, playing [in the opponents’ half], and trying to win the game,” he said.

“There are no more secrets than that. It’s [about] the quality of the players, trying to understand their skills, creating a good environment and a good mood, because football is not just tactics; it’s emotions and relations between the lads and even with the backroom staff. This is the most important thing for a team to last for a long time, which has happened here for five years,” concluded Guardiola.