Guardiola is still ‘the best’ as ex-Man City man lauds him over Arteta; expects him to stay | OneFootball

Former Manchester City man Paul Dickov feels Pep Guardiola is still “the best” manager in the Premier League, and expects his City career to continue.

Guardiola is the current longest-serving Premier League manager, with Mikel Arteta one place behind him. The former colleagues have their clubs in the league’s top two.

Arteta’s Arsenal are four points clear of City at the top of the league, on 26 points.

Despite his side being above Guardiola’s, former City man Dickov feels the Citizens boss remains the best tactician in the Premier League.

He said: “Obviously, with my blue-tinted glasses on, I still think he’s the best. I think he showed that in the game against Liverpool. City with and without the ball tactically were so much better than Liverpool.

“I think Pep looked at the midfield with the three that they have in it and they tweaked it a little bit. Rayan Cherki coming in from the right, [Matheus] Nunes pushing right on the wingers, with Nico O’Reilly and Jeremy Doku on the left, the players were coming off the line and the Liverpool players could not work out how they were getting outnumbered in the middle of the pitch.

“I just thought it was a tactical master class from Pep yesterday. A lot of people are saying that Pep’s plan A is playing out from the back. He’s showing this season that at times we need to go longer to [Erling] Haaland and go from there, that’s what we’ll do.

“But I thought yesterday the players – the players have got to go out there and execute the plan as well as they can – deserve credit. I thought from a tactical point of view, I thought it was top, top class and it shows that Pep still got it.”

Dickov also feels that, amid rumours Guardiola could leave City, he will at least see out the last years of his current deal.

He said: “He signed on for this season and next, and few people expected that. So I think he’ll do that, at least. Looking at Pep, even in the Club World Cup in the summer and the beginning of the season, he looks as enthusiastic and as driven as he was when he first came to the club.

“I think he’s really enjoying this rebuild, getting these new players in, and getting them to play how he wants them to. They’re improving all the time. I’m not saying it looks like he’s got his mojo back. I don’t think that ever left, but he looks as fresh and as driven as he was from the first day he walked in the club, which is fantastic for everyone associated with Man City Football Club. Because it’s not just the team.

“The atmosphere around the training ground, the staff, it’s just a fantastic place to go into. Pep creates that environment for them all to do the best they can all the time.”