Pep Guardiola insists he’s never been in talks with Juventus but refuses to blame Massimiliano Allegri for his playing style: ‘He thinks he will win this way.’
Guardiola is in Italy and attended an event in Cuneo, in the Region of Piemonte, on Monday morning.
It was called ‘Dialogues on Talent with Pep Guardiola’ and was organised by CRC Foundation in partnership with Vialli and Mauro Foundation and Guardiola Sala Foundation.
The Manchester City coach replied to questions from journalists during the event. One was about his potential move to Juventus in 2019 when the Old Lady sacked Massimiliano Allegri and whether he’ll ever return to Serie A as a coach.
“We [Juventus and I] were never in talks, but food is excellent in Italy. I really like Italy, I often come here on holiday,” said Guardiola.
During an interview with Sky Sport Italia earlier this year, the Spaniard ruled out a possible return to the Peninsula, where he had played as a footballer for Brescia and Roma.
During the event held in Cuneo on Monday, Guardiola also spoke about different playing styles, comparing Allegri and Roberto De Zerbi, the current Brighton coach.
“Do you think Allegri, who is the Juventus coach, or De Zerbi, one wants to win and the other one doesn’t?” asked Pep.
“It’s an old argument, more than old. Allegri thinks he will win this way, and De Zerbi believes he will win with his style. It is said he [Allegri] doesn’t want aesthetics, he wants to win and thinks he’ll do it this way.
“At the end of the day it’s what Massimo Ragazzini said, leave a coach what he wants and feels. Every coach wants to win, I’ve never heard anyone say: ‘No, I just want to be good-looking and invent tactics. I don’t care if I don’t win.’ I’ve never met a coach or a player who does not want to win. I’ve never seen a player on the pitch who doesn’t want to play well.”