As Manchester City prepare to face Burnley in the quarterfinals of the FA Cup at the Etihad Stadium, Pep Guardiola insists the Clarets’ boss Vincent Kompany will one day take charge of the Citizens as manager.
Kompany earned his legendary status from Man City, a team he captained for eight of his eleven-year stay there, winning four Premier League titles with the club.
The Belgian called time on his City stay in 2019, before taking on a stint at Anderlecht where he was player-manager. It was from Anderlecht where Burnley got the former City defender.
Since his arrival last year, the Clarets have been on an enviable form. Burnley lead the Championship table with 83 points, 13 ahead of Sheffield United placed second. They are just five games away from sealing a return to the Premier League.
With a possibility of advancing to the semifinals and perhaps the finals, Burnley under Kompany is a team on the go.
“Maybe he doesn’t agree with me, but having seen his teams I’m more than convinced today he’s going to come back,” Guardiola said ahead of Saturday’s fixture. “When? When I said my feelings weeks ago, this part I don’t know. But it’s going to happen.”
“It’s nice he’s back, but over the last two or three days, I’ve been thinking about what they’ve done this season. What I saw didn’t make me totally surprised about the position they’re in, being so close to being a Premier League team next year already.”
Guardiola won this trophy with Kompany in the 2018/19 season. He anticipates a tough encounter tomorrow.
“Seeing what they do more closely, I understand it completely. They will be really, really tough because they do incredible things on the pitch. They have a good team – and the way they play is exceptional.”
