Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola was full of praise for Burton Albion manager Nigel Clough after his side’s comprehensive victory over the Sky Bet League One outfit in their Carabao Cup Semi-Final first leg.
Guardiola’s side put nine goals past the Brewers on the night, but the 47-year-old was quick to laud the work Clough has done in the competition.
“It is an honour for me to play against Nigel, what he has done in this competition – it is difficult for Burton over two legs, but we did not expect to score as many goals as we did,” he said.
“I think his father must have shown him some tricks, it is incredible. I think Brian Clough means a lot to English football, winning the promotion to the First Division, winning the First Division and then winning the European Cup.
“I want to congratulate them on an incredible tournament, they deserve some incredible credit and I told my players they must respect our opponents.”
Brazilian Gabriel Jesus scored four goals in the game, meaning the Citizens will travel to the Pirelli Stadium with a healthy advantage, and Guardiola says the rhythm of the game is what saw them score so many goals.
“We played seriously and we scored the first goal quickly – there was a long period where we didn’t score after the first goal and they had a great chance to score at 1-0,” he added.
“Of course, we have to play the second game and we will take it seriously, but the rhythm of the game is something that is higher in the Premier League than League One, and that is what saw us score so many goals.
“You have to congratulate Burton on getting this far in the competition, they have beaten Premier League teams and they deserved to be here.”