‘A real tough game tomorrow’ – Guardiola gives West Ham ultimate respect ahead of Etihad clash
Pep Guardiola has labelled Saturday’s clash with West Ham as a ‘real tough game’ in his pre-match press conference.
The City boss was full of praise for David Moyes and his side. The Hammers, like City, are having a very good season and are currently in the top four.
Speaking in his press conference, Guardiola praised the boss, as well as Rice and Antonio.
He said: “They are in the Champions League position. That is not a good run, it is many months and they are there.
“It means how strong they are. What I saw is the rhythm increased a lot on previous seasons.
“They have fantastic players like Declan Rice. I am a big admirer of him and Michail Antonio is always a headache for his movements.
“David Moyes – I admire this person, like Roy Hodgson. They have incredibly long, long careers. This season speaks for itself. [Moyes] understands football perfectly and has a lot of experience.
“It is a real tough game tomorrow because all the big clubs suffer against them.”
Back at you, Pep
It’s flattering to hear Guardiola say West Ham is a tough game. The reality is, City are on another level to any other team in the league, possibly in Europe.
They look sure to secure the title this year, opening up a ten-point gap at the top of the table within the last few weeks. It could even be argued that with their squad, we could see a quadruple.
After all, they’re ten clear in the Premier League, in the League Cup final, still in the FA Cup and winning their Champions League tie on aggregate.
Moyes and the squad will definitely have their work cut out for them tomorrow – it’s the biggest challenge we’ll face this season. There is reason to be confident, though. We’ve taken 22 points from a possible 27 in 2020, bettered only by City.
We did also prove last weekend in our 2-1 victory over Spurs that we are resilient at the back and able to hold onto a lead, not like previous seasons.
We’ll have to wait and see, but there is more or less no pressure on tomorrow. It’s a free hit with a big reward.
In other West Ham news, David Moyes has committed his future to the club, despite speculation regarding the Celtic job.