Premier League - Chelsea boss Thomas Tuchel says he's not playing tennis or chess against Pep Guardiola tomorrow
ByTNT Sports
Tuchel has led Chelsea to three wins in a row against City boss Pep Guardiola, including the Champions League final in May, but the German says his head-to-head record against the Spaniard should not be thought about in too much detail. Tuchel led Chelsea to a fourth-place finish in the Premier League last season and are currently top of the league on 13 points this season after five matches.
Thomas Tuchel insists Chelsea vs Manchester City on Saturday lunchtime should not be labelled as a contest between him and Pep Guardiola.
"Not so long ago there were a lot of voices who told me I don't know how to beat Pep," he told reporters ahead of the Premier League clash.
"It's not between me and him, we don't play a match of tennis or a match of chess tomorrow.
"It's two teams and clubs that compete against each other on a very high level.
If I look at it [the last three games] honestly, I see three 50/50 matches and I'm not only talking about the situation before the match, but during the matches too.
Tuchel was also asked if he is a better manager than Guardiola, but he says it's a topic for journalists to "endlessly debate".
He added: "This question does not even exist for me and it doesn't exist for me because I can't answer it.
"These are questions for you guys that you can maybe endlessly debate.
"I have the highest respect for Pep because I'm a huge admirer of the impact he had from his first day of professional coaching.
"The impact he had at Barcelona, Bayern Munich and now at Manchester City. This is something I hugely respect and this will never change.
"Look at the trophies, look at the influence, there is absolutely no reason why I should start to ask myself whether I'm a better coach or not."
Tuchel also confirmed that Christian Pulisic and Mason Mount will not feature on Saturday.
Edouard Mendy will start in goal for the Blues after recovering from a knock picked up in Chelsea's 1-0 win over Zenit St Petersburg in the Champions League on September 14.
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