Fernandes: 'Everyone wants to be Guardiola'

Midfielder Bruno Fernandes praised Pep Guardiola as the best coach in the world , acknowledging the influence of Jurgen Klopp, but made no mention of his former manager Erik ten Hag.

"We're talking about the best coach in the world, there's no doubt about that. Over the years, Guardiola has been the best in the world," Fernandes told the Portuguese newspaper A Bola . "Guardiola is probably the coach who has changed football the most. Nowadays everyone wants to be Guardiola, there's no need to hide that."

Guardiola once praised Fernandes, saying, "When he has the ball, you know something is about to happen." When asked about this comment, the 29-year-old midfielder said: "For me, receiving praise from a coach like Guardiola is something spectacular, because as I said, he is the best coach in the world. All the teams, from the Second Division to the Championship, try to play like Man City. Everyone tries to find the motivation that Man City has, because they get good results and success."

Fernandes during a match against Pep Guardiola's Man City. Photo: AFP — Fernandes during a match against Pep Guardiola's Man City. Photo: *AFP*

Besides Guardiola, Fernandes also praised Klopp, saying he shares the same passion, intensity, dedication, and love for football as the German coach. Klopp will leave Liverpool at the end of the season, after helping the team win a complete trophy haul, including the Premier League title, FA Cup, League Cup, Community Shield, Champions League, UEFA Super Cup, and FIFA Club World Cup over the past eight years.

According to Fernandes, Klopp's greatest legacy isn't the trophies, but his ability to instill a new passion and motivation to transform Liverpool into champions. "That's something nobody can take away from Klopp," the Manchester United midfielder continued. "We're talking about a different manager, someone who truly influenced my passion for football."

In an interview with A Bola , Fernandes didn't mention his current manager at Man Utd, Ten Hag. But a few days ago, he said the Dutch coach inspired Man Utd to come from behind to beat Liverpool 4-3 in the FA Cup quarter-finals.

Following the aforementioned match, Fernandes called for the removal of the rule penalizing players who take off their shirts to celebrate goals. In the second minute of extra time, after scoring the winning goal for Man Utd in a 4-3 victory, Amad Diallo ran to the corner of the pitch, took off his shirt to celebrate, and was given a yellow card. This was the Ivorian striker's second yellow card of the match, after the first in the 116th minute. Diallo was therefore sent off, missing the final seconds of the game.

According to FA rules, a player must be cautioned, even if the goal is disallowed, for taking off their shirt or using it to cover their head.

Fernandes sees this as simply a player enjoying the moment of celebrating a goal with teammates and fans, and wants to change this rule. "This moment should be enjoyed, and I think it's one of the rules that football needs to change because you should be able to celebrate a goal. Of course, there's respect for other clubs, but enjoy your moment," the Portuguese midfielder stated.

The Manchester United captain also congratulated Diallo – who played for Rangers for the second half of the 2021-2022 season and then Sunderland on loan in the 2022-2023 season. "Diallo deserved that goal. He got rewarded for doing the right thing," Fernandes said. "Unfortunately, Diallo was sent off. Celebrating a goal is part of the moment and part of youth."

Diallo will be suspended for the next Premier League match against Brentford on March 31, but will be eligible to play in the FA Cup semi-final against Coventry at the end of April.

Hong Duy

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