Premier League - Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel says he's not playing tennis or chess against Pep Guardiola tomorrow
/dnl.eurosport.com/sd/img/placeholder/eurosport_logo_1x1.png){kind=logo}
ByEurosport
Updated 24/09/2021 at 19:24 GMT
Tuchel has led Chelsea to three wins in a row against City boss Pep Guardiola, including the Champions League final in May, but the German says his head-to-head record against the Spaniard should not be thought about in too much detail. Tuchel led Chelsea to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League last season and are currently top of the league on 13 points this season after five matches.
'I am a huge admirer of Pep' - Tuchel ahead of clash with Man City
Thomas Tuchel insists Chelsea vs Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime should not be labelled as a contest between him and Pep Guardiola.
"Not so long ago there were a lot of voices who told me I don't know how to beat Pep," he told reporters ahead of the Premier League clash.
"It's not between me and him, we don't play a match of tennis or a match of chess tomorrow.
"It's two teams and clubs that compete against each other on a very high level.
If I look at it [the last three games] honestly, I see three 50/50 matches and I'm not only talking about the situation before the match, but during the matches too.
Tuchel was also asked if he is a better manager than Guardiola, but he says it's a topic for journalists to "endlessly debate".
He added: "This question does not even exist for me and it doesn't exist for me because I can't answer it.
"These are questions for you guys that you can maybe endlessly debate.
"I have the highest respect for Pep because I'm a huge admirer of the impact he had from his first day of professional coaching.
"The impact he had at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now at Manchester City. This is something I hugely respect and this will never change.
"Look at the trophies, look at the influence, there is absolutely no reason why I should start to ask myself whether I'm a better coach or not."
Tuchel also confirmed that Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount will not feature on Saturday.
Edouard Mendy will start in goal for the Blues after recovering from a knock picked up in Chelsea's 1-0 win over Zenit St Petersburg in the Champions League on September 14.
/origin-imgresizer.eurosport.com/2021/09/24/3225827-66033813-2560-1440.jpg)
'City played really good in CL final' - Guardiola ahead of trip to Chelsea
Scan me
Related Topics
Share this article