Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has admitted he’s a huge fan of Nottingham Forest boss Steve Cooper. The two managers go head-to-head tomorrow at the City Ground.
The Spaniard has been quizzed on the Forest man ahead of the clash. In August, the Citizens thrashed Forest 6-0 and the Reds will hope for a better performance on home soil.
Guardiola’s team come into the game on a crest of a wave. They went top of the Premier League on Wednesday night after defeating Arsenal 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium.
It would be no surprise at all to see Guardiola’s team go on a crazy run now. They have a knack of reeling off 10 wins in succession and they could still romp to the league title.
Ahead of the game, however, he’s reserved some praise for Cooper. The Forest boss is a man that he’s deeply fond of and he spoke kindly of the Welshman.
He told the club’s official website: “They’ve got a manager we respect a lot for what he’s done for English football with a young team.
“What he did last season when he took over, Nottingham were in a really difficult position. They got promoted and he’s done really well.
“Yeah [impressed] with [Cooper’s work with], the national team as well, absolutely. We admire him in a tough moment at the beginning of the season and the results are there.”
Guardiola has admitted he’s a huge fan of Cooper
On the banks of the River Trent, Cooper’s stock really couldn’t be higher. But, it appears that Cooper’s qualities are only recognised by those in the East Midlands but around the country.
Guardiola is a quality manager. He’s been brilliant for Manchester City and also lifted league titles galore with Bayern Munich and Barcelona.
He will know that his team should beat Forest tomorrow. If they have aspirations of winning the Premier League title again, they really shouldn’t be dropping points on Trentside.
Forest have been pretty steady at home though. As a result, they might fancy their chances of an upset and Guardiola’s comments on Cooper suggest he won’t be taking Forest lightly.
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