Pep Guardiola makes extraordinary 'Michelin-style restaurant' claim about Roberto De Zerbi and Brighton
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The Manchester City manager, who has just won another Premier League title, was highly complimentary of his Italian counterpart, who has guided Brighton and Hove Albion to Europe for the first in their history.
"Congratulations to Brighton for this incredible achievement,” Guardiola said in a press conference on Tuesday (May 23) – a day before his side face Albion at the Amex.
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Hide Ad"Pay attention to what I’m going to say because I’m pretty convinced I’m right in what I’m saying.
“He’s one of the most influential managers in the last 20 years. There is no team playing the way they play. It’s unique.”
Guardiola – widely considered to be the greatest current manager in the world – said he ‘had a feeling’ De Zerbi’s ‘impact would be great’ when he replaced Graham Potter earlier this season.
But the Spaniard said he ‘couldn’t expect it in this short of time’, adding: “His team creates 20/25 chances on average a game. They are better by far than all the opponents.
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Hide Ad"He can monopolise the ball in a way we’ve not seen in a long long time. Everybody is involved. The keeper is like a holding midfielder.
"If you don’t play at a very high level, he can whatever he wants against you. They deserve completely the compliments and success they have.”
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager said Brighton is ‘one of the teams I try to learn a lot’ from.
He likened De Zerbi’s impact on the Premier League to Ferran Adria – a famous chef in Catalonia.
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Hide Ad"It’s like a Michelin style restaurant,” he said of De Zerbi’s style of play.
"Brighton is playing with something unique. It’s special. The way they move the way they do. It’s a good incredible challenge for us to prepare for the two finals [against Manchester United in the FA Cup and Inter Milan in the Champions League].