The technical area at Bramall Lane may be a little quiet this weekend as the typically animated Pep Guardiola will not be occupying it despite Manchester City playing against Sheffield United.
City have won both of their Premier League games so far this season and are expected to make it three wins from three against the newly-promoted Blades.
However, they will be without their influential manager as Guardiola is recuperating in Barcelona after undergoing back surgery earlier this week.
The surgery was a success but Guardiola is not expected to return to Manchester until after the upcoming international break next month.
Guardiola’s assistant Juanma Lillo will take temporary charge of the team at Bramall Lane and for City’s subsequent fixture against Fulham at the Etihad next weekend.
Lillo, who rejoined the treble winners in the summer after a spell managing Al Sadd in Qatar, confirmed that Guardiola would pick City’s team against Sheffield United and be in open communication with his coaching staff during the game.
“Of course. Pep is always there,” Lillo said on Friday. “The contact will be continuous, he is watching Sheffield right now! What’s important is his health. It doesn’t keep him from being who he is. He’s fully focused on the match.
“He is telling us the surgery has been successful, his recovery has to take the necessary time.
“He feels fine. I’m happy to see him going correctly.”
Guardiola has at least handed pre-match team talk duties to his number two but, even in that area, will pass on instructions for Lillo.
“Pep prefers face-to-face, so I will deal with it,” he said. “Obviously the form and content is his work.
“We won’t do a video conference because he doesn’t want it. He wants face-to-face and is within the messages that are relayed.
“There is still a few training sessions and sometimes it’s about the feeling you have. With regards to the rival, the team. Pep has been doing his work and we will talk about it. Whatever he will say, whatever the input that’s what will happen.”
Lillo, 57, was appointed to replace Mikel Arteta as Guardiola’s assistant in 2020 but left to manage in Qatar last season.
However, he returned this summer to help replenish Guardiola’s depleted coaching team after Enzo Maresca left to become Leicester’s manager with Rodolfo Borrell also leaving to become sporting director at Austin FC in MLS.
“I’m an old man. Those are the upstarts,” joked Lillo. “I’m coming back, I’m already on my way back so to speak. Pep is someone very special to me, not only in a football manner.
“I am here to be with someone who’s been very important in my life. It’s different. When I left it was more ‘see you later’.”
from Football - inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/uV9BI64
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