adminCOVID-19 prevented Jordan Zemura from taking on what his Bournemouth manager, Scott Parker, believes is the “best team” he has ever seen in his 25 years in professional football.
The Zimbabwe international midfielder missed the Cherries 0-4 defeat, at the hands of the champions, at the Etihad on Saturday.
Zemura, who appears to be the team’s lucky mascot, featured in the team’s opening day win over Aston Villa.
However, he did not have the chance to battle superstars like Kevin de Bruyne and Riyad Mahrez, in the big defeat on Saturday.
After the game, Guardiola praised the way Parker had set his team up defensively, also likening some of their attacking plans to Tottenham Hotspur.
The two bosses also had a lengthy chat just outside the Etihad press conference room after the game.
Asked about the praise Guardiola had given his side and the pair’s conversation, Parker told the Daily Echo: “That’s nice to hear. I was just having a chat with him.
“Someone who is exceptional in what he does really. He goes underestimated. Mad to say that really, what I’m saying.
“But, I get people can see the quality, see the money one team is spending in Man City, but when you analyse that team and how well they’re coached and how functional they are in every aspect, it is pretty remarkable and that’s definitely down to him.”
Parker was also asked if this current Manchester City side is as good a side as he has seen in his time in football, both as a player and manager.
The 41-year-old, who broke into the first-team squad at Charlton Athletic in 1997 and made his first steps into management in 2019, said: “Yeah, a million percent, the best team.
“Just everything about them. Most well-coached team. Functionally, technically, just everything about their game model is just very difficult to play against.
“It’s not just the quality of what they’re playing at as well. They obviously dominate the ball, but at that point, large parts of your game you need certain profile in your team to be able to hurt them.
“Nine times out of 10, when you’re a team like us, it’s going to be counter, it’s going to be transitions, and you need a certain player profile to get you up the pitch.
“The pitch becomes so big for opposition teams and even then, positionally they’re so well coached that you often find they’ve always got it locked down.
“And then obviously on the flip side, they’ve got their positions in the attacking phase, which can hurt and they’re committed to them.”
Quizzed on how much more of a threat they now are with Erling Haaland up front, Parker added: “It’s not just Haaland. For me, it’s 11 players on that pitch with Man City and that quality that they have.
“I get why people would highlight one player in Haaland – new signing and obviously an exceptional centre-forward. But you see the quality all over their pitch really.”– Bournemouth Echo.
Mathew Masinge
Online Reporter