Pep praises 'incredible' Bielsa

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said on Monday that Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa will be an "incredible" addition to the Premier League next season.

Bielsa has masterminded Leeds' return to the English top flight after a 16-year absence.

The former Marseille, Lazio and Argentina boss brought the Elland Road outfit its first silverware since 1992 as it clinched the Championship title last weekend.

Guardiola said of the 64-year-old Argentine: "I was lucky to sometimes have the opportunity to talk with him, to see him. For world football, with his ethics, behavior, the special way he plays－he is an authentic manager.

"No other manager can play the way he plays. His product is always incredibly personal. No-one can imitate him. That makes him so special.

"I was not his player, but I know the reference and influence for one thousand million players that were with him and their opinion.

"It's my personal opinion that for English football it will be incredible for him to be in the Premier League next season, to learn from him and his teams, the way he plays."

Despite being admired for his commitment to an attacking style of play, Bielsa has not been a regular winner of silverware.

But former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola, who has won 29 major trophies in his career, insists that does not matter.

"The knowledge you have as a manager does not depend on the results you have," he said.

"The media and others judge on the results but the players judge managers through the knowledge they have.

"There are no doubts about the quality of this manager."

AFP