Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola hails Antonio Conte ahead of crunch Premier League clash with Chelsea
Guardiola has high praise for the Italian as the two managers prepare to meet for the first time
PEP GUARDIOLA has seen pretty much everything in management, despite the fact he has only been coaching for nine years.
But tomorrow will see a rare new experience for the Spaniard as he prepares to take on Chelsea boss Antonio Conte for the first time.
The two bosses have both managed at top European clubs - Guardiola at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, and Conte at Juventus.
However during the Chelsea manager's three-year spell in Turin he avoided Pep's all-conquering Barca side in European competition.
Ahead of tomorrow's clash at the Etihad, Guardiola praised the job Conte has done with Chelsea, as well as Juventus and the Italian national side.
He said: "Conte is one of the best coaches in the world right now.
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"It's the first time we are going to face each other and it's good to play against him.
"He made an exceptional job in Turin and the national job. It doesn't matter if it is Serie A or the national team, you realise his strengths.
"He has started here with maybe not good results, but they have won the last seven games, conceding one goal. That says a lot about how good they are.
"Chelsea were contenders to win the Premier League from the beginning. Now, maybe more than before. It's a good test for us."
Although this is the first time the two men will meet in management, Guardiola did face Conte in his playing career during spells at Roma and Brescia.
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He recalled: "It's a while ago. I played and scored. I spoke with him once or twice in my life.
And Pep says his playing experience in Italy got him used to Conte's defensive system, which relies on three centre-backs.
"I learned a lot in Italy about the mentality and how good they are defending the penalty box. They have no problem staying in the box for 89 minutes and using amazing counter-attack.
"When they have the ball, Chelsea play a 3-4-3 and they defend with many players behind the ball. They have conceded just one goal. They are doing well.
"When I was at Munich, a lot of teams played with four or five at the back, closing the space down in the middle. They allow you to cross the ball from wide because they have five players in the box.
"We will be cautious when they have the ball, and when we have the ball we will attack as much as possible. They are so good when they arrive in the box. They score goals.
"They don't need to create too many chances to score goals. They are solid. But we are going to play with the quality players we have, attacking the best way as possible."
Chelsea's biggest goal threat tomorrow is likely to come from the Premier League's joint top scorer, Diego Costa, who has hit ten goals this season.
Guardiola said of the Spain international: "He's a top player. I saw him with Vallodolid.
"After that he made an amazing season with Atletico Madrid. He's a top player, top scorer. He has very good movement and he runs in behind."
City lie in 3rd place ahead of the early kick-off, but they can overhaul Chelsea and move into top spot with a win.