Enrique calls Guardiola the coach who changed football
PSG head coach Luis Enrique responded to reports surrounding Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola. Previously, information circulated that the 'Cityzens' boss might leave his post at the end of the season. This news caused significant discussion in the football community.
Luis Enrique openly stated that he does not believe these rumors. The Spanish specialist emphasized that he does not want Pep to leave Manchester City; on the contrary, he wants to see him at the highest level for many more years.
“I don't believe Pep Guardiola is leaving. I don't want to believe it because I want him to stay for many more years,” said Enrique.
The PSG boss also recalled another interesting detail regarding Guardiola. He mentioned that when he was working for the national team, Pep asked him about managing a national squad. In Enrique's opinion, Guardiola has always had a desire to lead a national team. However, he expressed doubt that Pep would specifically take over the Italy national team, while noting that such a possibility cannot be completely ruled out.
Luis Enrique considers Pep Guardiola one of the greatest role models in his coaching career. In his view, Pep's greatness is not measured solely by the number of trophies. The main point is how he influenced football, how he changed the game, and his ability to put ideas into practice that others dared not attempt.
“I want to see Pep at the highest level for many more years because he is a role model for me. He is the best coach of all time,” Enrique emphasized.
The Spanish specialist also specifically mentioned the tactical innovations Guardiola introduced to football. He noted that ideas such as testing central defenders in other positions, moving full-backs into the center, and building the entire team structure in a new way became widespread precisely because of Pep.
Indeed, Guardiola is not just a coach who brought trophies to football. He is a specialist who changed views on the game, giving new meaning to team positioning on the pitch, ball movement, and the duties of defenders. Today, many clubs are inspired by his ideas, and some openly try to replicate his style.
Enrique jokingly, but meaningfully, said that one day Pep might even put central defenders in attack. He believes that if Guardiola does so, other coaches will soon start copying this idea. It may seem like an exaggeration, but looking at Pep's influence on football, such a scenario is not entirely surprising.
“Such talent is possessed by very few people. Only the chosen ones. And in this regard, he is number one,” said Luis Enrique.
In short, Enrique does not believe the reports about Guardiola's departure and rates him as the greatest coach in football history. In his opinion, Pep holds a special place not only because he wins, but because of the ideas that took football to a new level. In football, trophies become numbers over time, but the names of those who changed the game live on.
