Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has given Rafael Benitez his backing amid recent criticism of the Newcastle boss.
Guardiola’s City team came out on top against the Magpies on Saturday, claiming a 2-1 victory at the Etihad Stadium. Benitez continued with the 5-4-1 formation he employed against Chelsea the previous week, and the City chief has backed his fellow Spaniard.
“Of course I have sympathy for him as a colleague,” he told the Chronicle. “He was a huge success at Liverpool and especially at Valencia in Spain. He’s so clever.
“I don’t judge teams but he knows players and knows the best way to use them. Newcastle’s start was really tough. It’s not the best way to start a season and he has decided to play that way. Last season he had similar games, he made good results and he did the job. So I respect him a lot.”
OPINION
It’s no surprise to see Guardiola come out in defence of his fellow Spaniard. Benitez has been somewhat of a punching bag recently, but he remains a world class manager and Guardiola knows that. The City boss is a clever guy, and he realises why Benitez felt like he had to set Newcastle up as he did against Chelsea and the champions. If Benitez had sent the Magpies out to play free-flowing football then they would have been thrashed by both teams. Instead, they were in both games right up until the final whistle and could have claimed points from both sides. So Guardiola’s assessment of, and respect for, Benitez makes perfect sense. The Spaniard blazed a trail for the former Barcelona chief by coming over to England with Liverpool in 2004 and proving a huge success. Now Guardiola has done the same with City, and his appreciation of the Newcastle manager is clear.