Pep Guardiola has been speaking ahead of Manchester City’s Champions League last 16 clash with FC Copenhagen – and the manager admitted there is a player for them he admires.
City are looking for a good result tonight at Parken Stadium, as they seek to defend their European title.
Guardiola’s side made it 10 wins in a row at the weekend against Everton, with Erling Haaland scoring two goals, so the momentum is certainly there right now.
City won all six of their group stage matches, so the expectation is that the team will be taking a good result back to the Etihad Stadium.
But nothing is ever a given, and Copenhagen did very well indeed to get out of their group that included Bayern Munich, Galatasaray and Manchester United.
Copenhagen have some good players, and Pep Guardiola actually picked one out ahead of the game…
Man City boss Pep Guardiola admits he is a fan of Copenhagen defender Denis Vavro
Guardiola was very complimentary about Copenhagen during his press conference last night.
He stated that he really likes how they defend against high pressing, their ability to play out from the back and their general movement.
The City manager was asked if there was any Copenhagen players who have caught his eye, and the Spaniard admitted that Denis Vavro is a player he likes.
He said (via Beanyman Sports): “The quality of both central defenders and the ‘keeper – they can put the ball wherever they want.
“I love both central defenders, especially Vavro. The quality they have with the passes inside… I like to watch all the team.”
Vavro has been in good form in the Champions League, with his average rating on WhoScored being 6.78. In his penultimate group stage match, Vavro helped his side to draw 0-0 with Bayern, and he helped completely shackle Harry Kane that night. The England striker had just 17 touches of the ball, won 0/4 duels and had zero shots at goal (via Sofascore).
We’ll see how they deal with City’s press
So Pep likes the two Copenhagen centre-halves, especially Vavro.
It will be interesting to watch them tonight, as they both sound like good ball-players.
Pep praised Copenhagen’s ability to play out from the back and their press resistance, but City are known as one of the best pressing teams in the world.
As pretty as the football can be from City, it is the hard work and the physicality that makes them such a force, and we shall see how Copenhagen deal with it.
