Current Chelsea manager Thomas Tuchel has established himself as one of the world’s best managers in recent years after successful spells at Mainz, Dortmund and Paris Saint-Germain.
During that time, current Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has ventured from Barcelona in Spain to Manchester in England sandwiched by a trophy-laden three years at Bayern Munich.
Tuchel mentioned his admiration for the Catalonian coach in an exclusive interview with Chelsea TV. When asked what elite managers he looked up to as a young coach, he mentioned three glorious coaches and their teams:
“Before I even understood the game, there was Louis Van Gaal’s Ajax, Johann Cruyff’s Barcelona and Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal.”
He continued to mention Guardiola’s influence on him:
“When I understood more about football, there was Pep & Barcelona. They taught me everything about this game. That you can play nice and still win the game and still be humble. You can attack and still be intense in defending.
I’m very happy to compete against Pep, to be in contact with him and to listen to him. A big influence. Whenever I watch his teams play I feel like I can learn something about football.”
Guardiola’s City are line to win yet another Premier League title as he has overseen his team go twenty matches unbeaten across all competitions, eleven more than Tuchel’s Blues.
