Exclusive: Pep Guardiola heaps praise on Roberto De Zerbi - 'One of the coaches I admire most in world football'

Pep Guardiola described Roberto De Zerbi as "one of the coaches I admire most in world football” after Manchester City arrested a run of two straight Premier League defeats with victory over Brighton at the Etihad.

City won their opening six games before losses to Wolves and Arsenal halted their momentum and saw them slip to third in the Premier League.

But the reigning champions returned to winning ways when they welcomed the Seagulls to Manchester.

Asked by TNT Sports if that was an important three points, Guardiola said: “Definitely, after two defeats and especially against the opponent that we faced, with one of the coaches and managers that I admire the most in worldwide football.

“We performed very well, especially in the first half, and we broke that [run of] back-to-back defeats.”

De Zerbi has received many plaudits for the job he’s done at Brighton since taking over from Graham Potter.

The Italian led his side to sixth in the Premier League last season and gave the south coast club its first taste of European football with a place in the group stage of the Europa League.

The Seagulls made another bright start to this season’s Premier League, winning five of their opening six fixtures, but have since picked up just one point from three games.

They were thumped 6-1 by Aston Villa, drew 2-2 with Liverpool, before going down to City to slip to seventh in the league, a point above Manchester United.

The City performance was marred slightly by the sending off of Manuel Akanji, who was shown a second yellow card in the 95th minute for a cynical foul as Brighton went in search of a late equaliser.

Akanji, 28, returns to his native Switzerland for City’s Champions League clash against Young Boys on Wednesday, live on TNT Sports and discovery+, and admitted he was still frustrated by that decision.

“I think it wasn't a red card, but I can't change it anymore. It is what it is,” the City defender told TNT Sports.

“I'm just not happy about it. I'm going to miss next weekend’s game, but the main focus is now on the game tomorrow against Young Boys, and we’ve got to fully be prepared.”

Should the English champions prevail, they will all-but guarantee their place in the knockout rounds, something Guardiola says is imperative with such a congested schedule in the run-up to Christmas.

“Normally when we play European competitions, October, November, December is always full,” Guardiola added. “If you survive in the competitions, it becomes even harder but it's nice. It's better to be in the Champions League than not in the Champions League.

“It’s important to qualify. It's important so you can focus on the Premier League and in February come back as best as possible.”

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