Guardiola shows respect for Mourinho at start of City reign

MANCHESTER, England (AP) – For a football coach widely regarded as the best in the business, there are many uncertainties shrouding Pep Guardiola as he starts his tenure at Manchester City.

Can City’s squad adapt to his methods? Can he achieve the consistency in a grueling Premier League season that his Barcelona and Bayern Munich teams have had down the years? What’s it like to play a match the day after Christmas?

These were some of the challenges he raised as he faced the media for the first time on Friday.

“Halfway through the season, I might be able to explain better,” Guardiola said.

The 45-year-old Spanish coach openly acknowledges his move to England – for the first time in his career as either a player or a coach – will be a learning experience. It will come, however, in the glaze of the toughest and most-watched league in the world.

He has won 22 trophies since 2008 as coach of Barcelona (2008-12) and Bayern (2013-16), but things are unlikely to come as easy in England.

Guardiola has met Sheikh Mansour, City’s Abu Dhabi-based owner, three times since being hired but he’s been set no specific targets. City won the Premier League in 2012 and 2014, but only finished fourth last season.

“He didn’t say, ‘You have to win Premier League or Champions League,'” Guardiola said. “He told me, ‘Do your job as best as possible, do your job like you are, and after that we are going to see.'”

One of the few familiar sights for Guardiola this season will be Jose Mourinho.

There was plenty of controversy when the pair met while coaching Spanish powerhouses Barcelona and Real Madrid in the early 2010s. Now, they will work within a few kilometers of each other in the Premier League, with Mourinho hired by Manchester United in May.

Guardiola showed respect toward Mourinho ahead of the renewal of their often-stormy rivalry.

“The big coaches, Jose is one them, help me reach another level,” Guardiola said.

“He wants to win, I want to win. We know each other pretty well from before. It is great that big managers are here, top managers are here. Big managers take me as a manager to a different level.”

His first league game – against Sunderland, managed by the experienced Sam Allardyce – will likely be an eye-opener for Guardiola.

“I never go to stadiums where it is freezing and windy. And I say, ‘Why not come play good (football) when it is freezing and windy?'” Guardiola said. “That is a target for me, a personal ambition. I want to prove (myself).

“I never played in Premier League before,” he added. “And Sunderland and ‘Big Sam,’ I play the first one. That is why I am here, to see how it is, and I have to adapt to the qualities of my players.

“I will need a bit of time to discover the style of play here. It is going to be more physical.”

Guardiola also talked about individual players whose futures at City have come under scrutiny.

– On the 33-year-old Yaya Toure, who was sold to City by Guardiola and is in the final year of his contract: “I count on him.”

– On Raheem Sterling, signed last offseason for $76 million but heavily criticized after his first season at City: “Of course he has a little problem with the money they paid, and that is in the mind of the people. But I’m encouraged and I am looking forward to working with him and showing him how good a player he is.”

– On Vincent Kompany, City’s injury-prone captain and center back: “We spoke to him and said just focus on your body and come back to what you were in the past. Vincent will show his qualities.”

Guardiola’s Barcelona and Bayern teams played easy-on-the-eye, attacking football and a tough pressing game. Don’t expect that to change at City.

“At the end, what we want is so simple,” Guardiola said. “When the opponent has the ball, take it back as quick as possible. When we have the ball, try to move as quick as possible, to create as much chances as possible. That’s all.”