Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola has on Monday revealed his appreciation for three headline members of the first-team setup at upcoming opponents Real Madrid.
Guardiola will of course lead his side into what feels like a near-annual showdown with Real, on Tuesday night.
The Spaniard will be hoping for a similar outcome to that of last season’s two-legged affair, when City sent Los Blancos packing from the Champions League’s semi-finals in comprehensive fashion.
In efforts towards as much, though, Guardiola is aware that his side will be up against a whole host of world-class performers.
And, speaking in a pre-match press conference on Monday, City’s boss moved to reveal his admiration for three such individuals.
First came Real Madrid counterpart Carlo Ancelotti, of whom Guardiola could not speak highly enough:
“I will never consider that Carlo Ancelotti is a bad coach tactically. See where he put Pirlo in Milan, how he uses Kroos, the position of Bellingham. In Manchester we consider him to be a great coach, in everything.”
Next on the agenda was the ever-dangerous Jude Bellingham:
“Jude Bellingham? What makes the difference is what he has in his head. He’s having a brilliant season. Very young. He has an impressive career ahead.”
And last up came midfield maestro Toni Kroos:
“Toni Kroos is a player to take into account. He sets the pace of the team. Real Madrid depends a lot on him.”
Conor Laird | GSFN
