Pep Talk: “They (Fulham) have the courage to play.”

Pep Guardiola is ready for a very game Fulham and Scott Parker. In today’s press availability, the Catalan manger was effusive with praise for Fulham, their manager and English managers as a while. He also touched on his team’s form, VAR and much more...

Let’s dive in-

“Since day one, they have Fulham have played incredibly well,”

“In English football, there are incredibly good managers such as Graham Potter at Brighton and Scott at Fulham.

“Many of them have courage to play. In my fifth season in England, I have never seen the lower teams with this quality of play.

“We saw it with Southampton. The way they play is incredible. I saw it here with Fulham earlier this season.

“The pace they play with, the organisation - a real tough, tough opponent.

“Even the games when they didn’t have success with the results, like Brighton, always the way they played us positively. It’s a challenge for us on Saturday.”

“They make the sport nice, when both teams want to attack and create, not just wait for one mistake.

“I have the feeling that all the new generation of managers have this quality.

“All the managers in Germany and Spain, play like they manage Bayern Munich.

“They have the courage to play. That doesn’t mean you don’t defend. Nothing is guaranteed with 11 players in the 18-yard box that you’ll have the success to win.

“Nobody knows that. That’s why I prefer it as a spectator. I think all the new generation of managers are saying we’ll do our game rather than wait to see what the opponents do.”

“I’m going to tell you a secret, the Manager of the Month and Player of the Month is because we win games. It is not that Gundo is better than another player in the league or I’m a better manager. It’s simply, the players behind and the backroom staff who help us win games.”

“The players want to score, sometimes they have the ability to provoke fouls. This is a talent, the referees decide who is trying to cheat. This isn’t a question, the referees have a difficult job, so complicated. The game is faster than ever, transitions...”

“That’s why VAR is there. It’s not because it punished us, sometimes happens to other sides. All managers have arguments. Have to do it better to avoid these situations. This is the first/second season with it, next season hopefully be better.”

Pep is right on with his comments today. Fulham are a proactive team and there needs to be more of that. He is also right on VAR, with the m=matches being faster than ever any player will be looking for even a sliver of an advantage so it must be used correctly.

Thoughts on Pep’s comments today?