Paris Saint-Germain coach Mauricio Pochettino has said that Pep Guardiola, his counterpart at Manchester City, is the best coach in the world.
The duo is set to renew their competition in the Champions League semi-final on Wednesday.
And he has already met Pochettino and Guardiola, both on and off the pitch, as they met while playing with rivals Barcelona and Espanyol before each went on to take charge of his team’s training.
They also competed in the English Premier League during Pochettino’s 5 years as Tottenham Hotspur.
The Argentine coach-led Tottenham to the Champions League final two years ago and eliminated Guardiola as he went to City in the quarterfinals.
“For me, he’s the best coach,” said Pochettino, who replaced Thomas Tuchel as Paris Saint-Germain’s head coach in midseason.
He continued, “I like him and I think he is doing a great job. He is a great coach and he always thinks of different strategies. I love challenging him and the teams he coaches.”
Pochettino said that his team’s loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League final last season would give him extra motivation this time.
He added: “We have experience now, but we have to deal with it step by step. Now we have to beat Manchester City and it will be very difficult.”
