Pep Guardiola praises NUFC's unsung hero and Eddie Howe after Man City's 3-3 draw at SJP
In his post-match press conference after our 3-3 draw against Manchester City, Pep Guardiola heaped praise on Eddie Howe, labelling him as “one of the top managers” as well as talking up the "incredible" Nick Pope.
Allan Saint-Maximin stole the headlines - and rightly so at times - but the former Burnley man was outstanding between the sticks, making seven saves and being quick off his line to deny Haaland on more than one occasion.
After a disappointing start to the game, the team showed great resilience to turn the score around - something that Howe has instilled in this squad, to never give up and to keep fighting until the final whistle.
His energy and passion for the game has clearly rubbed off on his players, and even top managers like Pep are now noticing the quality of the 44-year-old and giving him the respect he rightly deserves.
On Howe, Pep said:
“He’s one of the top managers. He took over last season in a difficult position and made an incredible effort. The team you see is growing. They have everything, they have pace they have quality. It’s a really difficult place to come."
Speaking on Pope’s performance, Pep was impressed with his one-on-one ability and even hinted that his impressive performances should earn him a starting spot for his country.
"We created a lot of chances, clear one-on-ones against Pope. He had an excellent performance. England has an incredible goalkeeper there."
After an embarrassing 9-0 defeat to Manchester City over the two legs last season, the squad are showing great improvements despite still lacking in quality in certain areas of the pitch.
Ultimately, there is still a long journey ahead of us to get to where we want to be, but if people like Pep are heaping praise on our performances week in week out then we’re certainly headed in the right direction.
