current Bayern Munich manager will find the
Premier League a tough nut to crack, but has
ultimately backed him to succeed
Former Manchester United boss Sir Alex
Ferguson has warned Pep Guardiola that
managing in the Premier League will not be
easy, but is ultimately confident the current
Bayern Munich chief will succeed in England.
Guardiola will replace Manuel Pellegrini at the
Manchester City helm once the current season
ends, in what will be his first foray in English
football.
The Catalan is regarded as arguably the finest
coach in the world but while Ferguson has
lauded his qualities, he says it will be difficult for
him to take to English football like a duck to
water.
"Manchester City have made a real coup in
getting him, but Pep won't find it easy. English
football is not easy," Ferguson told Sky Sports .
"Every foreign coach that has come to England
will tell you that. Arsene Wenger was talking
about that a few months after coming and even
Jose Mourinho was.
"Pep will be a success, but I don't think he'll ever
replicate what he did at Barcelona because that
was a high standard, they were the best.
"Without question Pep has got a fantastic work
ethic about him, he demands that in all of his
training sessions. Anyone who thinks they're not
going to work hard at City won't last long. He
has got great coaching ability, there is no doubt
about that."
Guardiola has won league titles with both
Barcelona and Bayern and will be expected to do
the same during his time with City.
And Ferguson says much depends on how the
league's biggest clubs react to Guardiola's
impending arrival at City in the summer to
determine who can challenge them for the
crown.
"You have to ask what the big clubs are going to
do. If you take my time at United, when Chelsea
and Jose came on the scene, in the first two
years they had quick starts, so I had to accept
that challenge," he added.
"That's what you have to do when you're a big
club. Arsenal, Liverpool and the other clubs have
to accept the challenge when they are not good
enough. They'll have their own ambitions and
will be desperate to win the league next season
as much as City, so there is not a guarantee
they can win the league.
"That's the beauty of our league. Arsenal, City,
Liverpool, Chelsea, Tottenham will want to do
something and now, of course, Leicester City
are there. Who's to say they can't win it next
season?"
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