Manchester City vs Arsenal: Pep Guardiola hails Arsene Wenger as the ‘commander-in-chief’ – after watching House of Cards
PEP GUARDIOLA hailed Arsene Wenger as the ‘commander-in-chief’ — but is preparing to pull rank on the Arsenal boss again.
The Manchester City manager learned the phrase through his love of watching House of Cards on Netflix.
He has put the Frenchman in his place on a regular basis during his managerial career.
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Pep’s Barcelona knocked the Gunners out of the Champions League twice — and he repeated the trick at Bayern Munich.
Wenger did enjoy a rare win in a group game last October but the Germans got their revenge in some style a month later.
Then there is the fact Guardiola has won 21 trophies in seven years, compared to just two in ten for Wenger.
Yet Guardiola saluted his opposite number on Sunday — literally.
He raised his hand to his head in military style when he spoke glowingly about Wenger.
Guardiola said: “He’s the boss, no? He’s the chief for Arsenal. I saw many Netflix series and that’s why. He is commander-in-chief and colonel, I use it a lot. I like what he’s done, yes. He has been here a long time and when that happens at a club such as Arsenal, it’s because a person is doing a good job.
“It’s not easy to win the Premier League, so I have a lot of respect for his career.
“I’ve said many times I admire the way he tries to play and the quality of the players they like and they buy.”
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While the two may share a similar football philosophy, Guardiola feels he has the ‘pragmatism’ to adapt and win silverware.
It has been a long 12-year wait since the Gunners last lifted the Premier League crown — much to the irritation of their fans.
But Guardiola said: “I’m here because I want to win. I’m so pragmatic — concede few goals and score goals. I’m here to learn what works here.
“But at the end, it’s 11 against 11, the pitch is the same. And try to adapt.”
Ilkay Gundogan joins Vincent Kompany and Fabian Delph on the sidelines. And Guardiola must decide whether to recall John Stones after leaving him out in midweek.