One of the greatest in history – Villa lauds Guardiola

Former Barcelona forward David Villa heaped praise on Pep Guardiola, labelling him as “one of the greatest coaches in the history of football”, while he backed the Spanish boss to lead Manchester City to Champions League glory.

After masterminding City’s 3-1 win over Barcelona on November 1, Guardiola’s men are now on the verge of qualifying for the Champions League knockout rounds.

City made it all the way to the semi-finals last season but Villa – now captain of MLS outfit New York City having spent three years at Barca between 2010 and 2013 – believes Guardiola is the man to help the Premier League giants reign supreme in Europe this term.

“Guardiola is one of the greatest coaches in the history of football and I feel proud to have worked with him,” Villa told Sky Sports, after winning two LaLiga titles and the Champions League during his time at Camp Nou.

“His style is to have the ball, try to be offensive and attack, and when you lose the ball you have to recover it as soon as possible.

“I think City will be among the candidates to win the Champions League. They have been one of the top teams and now even more so with Guardiola in charge.

“They have been playing great football during the early stages of the tournament and I am sure they will have a chance to become champions with Pep.”