Gareth loves Pep’s humble nature
MAN CITY boss Pep Guardiola’s next opponent reckons it’s the Spaniard’s humility which sets him apart.
Wycombe’s Gareth Ainsworth will go face to face with the former Barcelona boss in a real David against Goliath Carabao Cup third-round contest at the Etihad on Tuesday.
And the Chairboys chief cannot wait to meet him.
Ainsworth said: “I admire Pep Guardiola because he’s a real realist. He’s a fantastic manager and a fantastic realist.
“For managers lower down who don’t have the resources he has it is nice to hear him say, ‘We played well today but I thank my owners and fans to enable me to bring in the best players’.
“He always says that. He’s so humble. He never says, ‘This is me’ – he always credits others.
“That is such a big strength of Pep and one I admire and one I aspire to.
“It’s refreshing because there are a lot of people who are all about self-preservation.
“But the strength of Pep is he credits everyone around him and I admire that. It will be an honour to stand alongside him on the touchline.”
Ainsworth appears to have similar values and is respected in the football community having been in charge of Wycombe for nine years.
The Adams Park boss, famed for his love of music and rock ’n roll attire, said: “I’m very comfortable in my own skin and where I am at Wycombe Wanderers.
“In the early days the humility might not have been as much as now. You have to find yourself. You are always maturing.
“If I can have any characteristics like the humility of Pep I’m very happy that people are noticing that. But that’s me as a person.
“It will be my first time talking to Pep. And maybe I can’t go unnoticed with my hair!
“I won’t take it lightly. I felt a very lucky boy as a player to play against the Arsenals and Man Citys and the top teams in the country.
“I wanted to grab it with everything I’ve got. People may say you should be super confident or arrogant. But I’d rather be me.
“I won’t be overawed. That stopped happening after I met Slash from Guns N’ Roses!”