Ahead Of The 200th Game, Guardiola Is Satisfied With The Development Of City Under His Care
JAKARTA - Pep Guardiola has expressed his pride and satisfaction with the development of Manchester City during his time in charge, ahead of his 200th game for the team in the English Premier League.
This milestone was officially achieved by Guardiola, when City hosted Crystal Palace in the tenth Premier League match at the Etihad, this Saturday night.
"I am very happy. We see this team continue to grow and grow. That is the best signal that we are doing a good job," Guardiola said as quoted by Antara from City's official website, Friday night.
"I'm trying to adapt, with the Premier League to some specific things.
"After 200 games, I don't think I could be more satisfied than this. It's amazing how we lived it the way we wanted. I'll try to continue with this," he added.
Over 199 Premier League games, Guardiola has led City to 146 wins, 25 draws and just 28 defeats, scoring no less than 486 goals along the way.
Guardiola has won three Premier League titles for City, along with seven other trophies, although the club has so far not succeeded in winning European competitions.
On the other hand, Guardiola revealed that his opponents, Palace, had changed a lot under the direction of new coach Patrick Vieira who happened to end his career at City in 2011 and helped the club win the FA Cup at that time.
"It's an honor to see Patrick again in Manchester. His character, since he was playing, has done a lot for football, not just on the pitch. It's been an honour once again," he said.
"He has changed the dynamics and the way Palace play. They always have great players and this will be a real test. I can't wait to meet Patrick."
Whatever the result against Palace, Guardiola will certainly be the coach with the best record in 200 matches in the Premier League, but victory is certainly being sought in order to keep City's position in the competition at the top.
City currently occupy third place with a collection of 20 points, two points behind Chelsea at the top and one point behind Liverpool.