Pep Guardiola agrees with Sam Allardyce’s audacious claim that he is as good as Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola
Allardyce returned to the Premier League this week, tasked with rescuing Leeds United from relegation with only four games remaining in the season.
The 68-year-old has been out of the game since failing to keep West Brom in the Premier League in 2021, but he returned with a bang in his press conference on Wednesday, declaring himself to be on the same level as Guardiola, Jurgen Klopp, and Mikel Arteta.
‘Far too many people think I’m old and antiquated, which is completely false,’ she said on Wednesday. ‘I may be 68 and appear old, but there is no one ahead of me in football terms,’ he says.
‘I share what they do and do what I do, but in terms of knowledge and depth of knowledge, I’m up there with the
‘It appears that the young managers are now there with the tactics or whatever… So they’re great; they help us be who we are.
‘Look at what Roy Hodgson, the manager of Crystal Palace, has done. They’re really good, have a lot of experience, and know the game inside and out. If he feels that way, it’s because of them.
‘He (Allardyce) has the charisma, he will put pressure on the players, and he knows exactly what to do in a relegation battle.
‘It appears to be this type of old manager… Because I am honest, what they have done for the club is dismissed as ‘they are old, whatever’.
m – not better than them, but certainly as good.’
Guardiola will face Allardyce in his first game as City manager on Saturday at the Etihad, with the City manager insisting that the likes of Allardyce, as well as fellow veterans Neil Warnock and Roy Hodgson, have paved the way for managers like himself.
‘He is correct,’ Guardiola said in response to Allardyce’s remarks. ‘I want to be completely honest. Consider what happened to Neil Warnock in Huddersfield, for example.
‘Now, the people in their 35s, 40s, and 45s, do we invent or create football? No, football has already been created, and these guys are members of that league who assisted us in doing so.
‘So, Neil Warnock, Huddersfield was in the last (spot) and is now out of the danger zone. I could not witness what Harry Redknapp has accomplished in this country.
‘There have been many, many English managers who have done exceptionally well. A good manager does not have to be young. You are competent given your level of experience.’
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