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David Moyes has compared Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola to celebrity chef Heston Blumenthal for his tactical innovations that defy convention.
Blumenthal is famous for inventing unusual recipes such as bacon and egg-flavored ice cream and snail porridge, which work despite the ingredients.
West Ham boss Moyes, aiming to end City’s 19-game winning streak on Saturday, feels the same about Guardiola.
“Pep is the Heston Blumenthal of soccer,” Moyes said.
The latest move by former Barcelona coach Guardiola has been to use Joao Cancelo as a winger and pivot in midfield at the same time, a tactic that has baffled a number of rival coaches.
“Blumenthal will do something stupid or outrageous that you would never dream of, like mixing chocolate with eggs and you think ‘that’s never going to work, it’s not going to taste good or look good.’ But yes,” Moyes added. .
“Pep does things in football terms that are remarkable, that many people would not have thought of. I hold him in high regard. He is innovative and is always looking for new ideas.
“I have the feeling that he is in a reflection room, thinking about how he can make his players perform better, or where they can receive the ball in space and make it difficult for opponents.”
In terms of cuisine, Moyes compares himself to his Scottish colleague Gordon Ramsay, famous for his fierce temperament and select language: “You know what you’re getting there, right?”
However, stopping Cancelo isn’t proving to be a particularly fun hobby and it’s making Moyes think hard about how to achieve the kind of positive result that will keep his team in the top four.
“The way you handle it takes a lot of your time to think about,” he said. “If it’s a level playing field, I could say we’ll take it and do our thing. When their players may not be at the level Manchester City has, it’s a fight.”
‘The artists are the players’
As West Ham travels to the Etihad Stadium (start at 12.30 GMT) after beating Tottenham on Sunday, Premier League leaders City’s impressive winning streak continued with a one-sided Champions League. win over Borussia Monchengladbach in their round of 16 first leg on Wednesday,
After that 2-0 win, Guardiola said that City’s current form and the club’s success since their appointment in 2016 were simply due to the money they had spent.
“We have a lot of money to buy a lot of amazing players,” he said Wednesday. “Without good quality players we cannot do it.”
Returning to the subject at the press conference on Friday, Guardiola reiterated that “the difference is the players” and downplayed his own influence.
“I would tell you if I believed the reason [for our success] It was me, “Guardiola said.” I would be grateful to say that the reason for this success is because I am so handsome and that is the reason. It is not like this. They are the players. The big clubs are incredibly successful and it’s due to the quality of the players, the mentality. “
City, who have won two Premier League titles, an FA Cup and three League Cups with Guardiola, have made several major signings during the Spaniard’s tenure, with the 65 million pound defender Rubén Dias the most recent. in September.
Riyad Mahrez, Aymeric Laporte, Joao Cancelo, Rodri, Benjamin Mendy and John Stones also came for fees in excess of £ 50 million.
“I came here to win in England and we have already done it, but I did it,” Guardiola added. “I came to play in a special way and I did it. The job is done, but I still have the feeling that we can do better.
“For a short time, you can do it without the best players but staying for a long time, in an incredible organization that supports its coach so that journalists and players know that he will not be fired, this is very important.
“Then, [you need] Top quality players. Never in my 12 years as a coach have I scored a goal. I never saved a penalty. The artists are the players. All we can do is help them, knowing that if you do the same, you may lose. ”
