Pep Guardiola makes incredible response to Sam Allardyce claim he’s ‘as good’ as Man City boss

Pep Guardiola has agreed with Sam Allardyce’s suggestion that Pep Guardiola is not a better manager than the former Bolton Wanderers and West Ham United boss.

Allardyce will take charge of his first Leeds United match this weekend with the 68-year-old confirmed on Wednesday as the replacement for Javi Gracia for the final four games of the campaign. His first test couldn’t be more daunting, with the Whites set to travel to the Etihad on Saturday.

Speaking after his appointment, Allardyce made the audacious claim that there is ‘nobody ahead’ of him in terms of Premier League managerial credentials. “Far too many people think that I am old and antiquated which is far from the truth,” opined the interim Leeds boss.

“I might be 68 and old but there’s nobody ahead of me in football terms. Not Pep, not [Jurgen] Klopp, not [Mikel] Arteta. It’s all there with me. They do what they do and I do what I do. In terms of knowledge, I am not saying I’m better than them but I’m certainly as good as they are."

Guardiola was asked for his thoughts on Allardyce’s comments, and the Manchester City manager said the older generation of coaches like Neil Warnock, Roy Hodgson, Harry Redknapp and Allardyce paved the way for himself and others in the Premier League.

“He [Allardyce] is right,” said Guardiola. “I want to be honest. Look what happened with Neil Warnock in Huddersfield. There’s a tendency for these incredible managers, they have [left] this Premier League or this competition in better position.

“They are really good and help us to be what we are. Roy Hodgson for Crystal Palace, look what they have done, they are really good, they have incredible experience and they know the game perfectly.

“It will be tough [on Saturday] because he [Allardyce] has the charisma and he will put out the pressure on the players and knows exactly what to do in this situation in a relegation battle. These type of old managers… now people with 35, 40, [people think] we invent football. No, football is already created.

“These guys helped us to do it and that’s why. Neil Warnock, Huddersfield were in the last and now already out of the dangerous positions. I could not experience what Harry Redknapp has done in this country. There are many English managers who have done really well, you don’t have to be young to be a good manager. As much experience you have you are good.”