Considering Saturday’s high‑stakes visit of Chelsea Pep Guardiola was breezy when discussing the challenge of Antonio Conte’s Premier League leaders. There was a quip about still having hair “a long time ago”, when he played against the Italian in Serie A, and a playful grimace when one questioner confused the former Juventus manager with Carlo Ancelotti, a predecessor at Stamford Bridge.
Conte, it is understood, was City’s second choice behind Guardiola to replace Manuel Pellegrini and the Catalan was serious when discussing his counterpart’s quality as well as a challenging December programme which starts with Chelsea and includes Liverpool and Arsenal following a trip to the champions Leicester City.
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