Ronald Koeman is a good friend of Pep Guardiola, since they coincided at Barcelona under Johan Cruyff. The Dutchman has always shown his admiration for the Catalan, especially now as a coach.

Koeman told The Mirror: "People will say City are doing well because of the money the club has but that money is available to other coaches in the Premier League in recent years, but none of them have reached a football level so high and daring like Guardiola. We all know the coaches who have won trophies but they did not make the fans happy."

That can be perceived as a dig at Jose Mourinho, who recently complained about Guardiola's spending.

"Pep's philosophy is a victory for world football. He always wants to score goals, never goes out to defend. He pushes his players to the death to score, with full-backs pushing up and playing high.

"The football that Guardiola brings us is fantastic to watch and successful. It's the hardest way to have success in football. People think they have copied Barcelona but this style of football is more Guardiola'a DNA."