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New Delhi: Pep Guardiola is set to take charge in his 1,000th match as a professional manager when Manchester City take on Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday. Since making his debut as manager in 2007, Guardiola has established himself as one of football's most successful coaches and has expressed satisfaction at meeting City’s fiercest domestic rivals once again.
Guardiola, in the pre-match press conference, said that Liverpool have been the biggest rival in this country, and it could not be better to face them. He reflected on the tough competition between Manchester City and Liverpool over the recent years.
"I think we pushed Liverpool to be better and Liverpool pushed us to be better. That's for sure. We created this in the last decade (fiercest rivalry), before it was [Manchester] United-Liverpool with [before] maybe Chelsea, Arsenal," Guardiola said.
His journey as a manager started with Barcelona B before stepping up to the main Barcelona job and then having a spell with Bayern Munich before moving to Manchester City in 2016. He has won 715 games out of his 999 so far.
"The journey and the experiences have been unbelievable," Guardiola said, recalling his first game in charge of Barcelona B in 2007," he added.
While discussing his record as manager, the Spaniard highlighted that it is a remarkable achievement to win 715 matches from 999. "The numbers are insane. It's difficult to reach it, and if I started again, I would not reach it," he admitted.
Former Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson has congratulated Pep Guardiola ahead of his 1,000th match as a manager.
Speaking on behalf of the League Managers Association, Ferguson said that he is absolutely delighted to welcome Pep to join the prestigious LMA Hall of Fame 1,000 Club.
"Your deep love and passion for the game has always been so evident and you should be very proud of the indelible impact you continue to have across the global game," Ferguson said.
He further added that reaching 1000 matches, achieving such longevity in football, is a landmark that can never be underestimated, and to continue to deliver Premier League, Champions League, and domestic cup titles in Europe's most competitive league is outstanding.
Ahead of Man City's clash on Sunday, Guardiola has said that they are unlikely to risk Rodri, who missed the midweek Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund due to an injury.
