Pep a star ... but he’s no Slash!
PEP GUARDIOLA’S next opponent reckons the Manchester City manager’s humility sets him apart.
Wycombe’s Gareth Ainsworth will go head-tohead with the Spaniard in a real David against Goliath Carabao Cup contest at the Etihad on Tuesday night.
Chairboys manager Ainsworth said: “I admire Pep because he’s a realist. He’s a fantastic manager and a fantastic realist.
“For managers lower down who don’t have the same resources 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 always credits others.
Values
“That is such a big strength in Pep – one I admire and I aspire to.
“It’s refreshing because there are a lot of people who are only about selfpreservation. It will be an honour to stand alongside him on the touchline.”
Blackburn-born Ainsworth, who played for QPR and Wimbledon among others, appears to have similar values – and he is widely respected in the football community having been in charge of Wycombe for nine years.
The 48-year-old, famed for his long hair, love of music and leather biker jacket, 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.
“It will be my first time talking to Pep. I won’t take it lightly, but I won’t be overawed by him either.
“That stopped happening to me after I met Slash [the lead guitarist] from Guns N’ Roses!”