Chelsea forward Pedro was supposedly targeted by Liverpool, Arsenal, and both Manchester clubs before he signed with the Blues last summer. When the Spain international gave his goodbye to Barcelona and said hello to Chelsea, he did the standard product rollout for the media, and during the session he revealed that he turned down both Manchester United and Manchester City during the summer transfer window.
Today he gave his forecast on how both Manchester clubs will do this summer under new management.
“Although we know he is a great coach, Pep is not going to have it easy,” Pedro, who played under Guardiola at Barcelona for four seasons before the coach’s departure in 2012, told Marca.
“It’s a difficult league, complicated. I don’t think he will be able to express his football.”
As Sky Sports points out, Guardiola’s coaching trademark has been an emphasis on ball possession, short passing and clever movement.
“He is faithful to his ideas and he can convince his players to change the philosophy of direct play by playing more elaborate football,” said Pedro, who is currently with the Spain squad preparing for Euro 2016.
“We shall see how his first year goes.”
Despite the opinions of Pedro, Manchester City remain the early favorite to win the Premier League next year, while their cross town rivals, United, are considered their primary competition. If you want to take this football promotional offer and wager on the Premier League, then the smart money is on the Manchester clubs, with Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City also right up there. While Pedro doesn’t strongly believe in Guardiola, he is high on the prospects of his other former manager in Manchester, Jose Mourinho.
“One thing is certain, he will bring a lot of intensity,” Pedro said of The Special One.
“It’s going to be a very strong team and consistent at the back. He has a lot of character and very clear ideas.”
Pedro worked under Mourinho until he was sacked in December.
Paul M. Banks runs The Sports Bank.net, partnered with FOX Sports Engage Network. and News Now. Banks, a former writer for the Washington Times, currently contributes regularly to the Chicago Tribune’s RedEye publication.
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