Xavi Says Pep Guardiola Will 'Change' English Football at Manchester City

Barcelona legend Xavi Hernandez believes his former mentor Pep Guardiola will "change the face of English football" when he takes over as Manchester City manager this summer.

Xavi, now plying his trade for Qatari club Al Sadd, spoke to the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy in Doha. Per their website, he said:

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It is a big opportunity for him at Manchester City. I think he will change the face of English football. If there is anyone capable of changing that mentality, it is Guardiola. It is a great opportunity but there will also be a lot of pressure, because everyone always expects a lot from [Guardiola]. But he is without doubt one of the best coaches in the world at the moment.

Guardiola thinks about football all the time, he is obsessive in his attention to detail. We still talk regularly and discuss football.

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The former Barcelona manager is known for helping cultivate the "tiki-taka" philosophy of attractive, possession-based football characterised by short, quick passing and dynamic movement on and off the ball.

Markus Schreiber/Associated Press

In England, the closest equivalent has been Arsene Wenger's Arsenal, though for myriad reasons the Gunners have been less successful than Barcelona or Bayern Munich over the last decade.

Football journalist Rafael Hernandez lauded Guardiola's trophy record and abilities as a coach:

The Spaniard will replace Manuel Pellegrini at the City helm, who arguably underperformed given the resources available to him as he guided the club to one Premier League title and two League Cups in his three years in charge.

Indeed, though Guardiola will have the tools to mould City in his image, it is a mistake to think he has taken an easy job.

He will inherit an ageing squad—one that scraped to fourth place on goal difference this season—in need of an almost complete rebuild, and he will undoubtedly be expected to bring UEFA Champions League success.

Hernandez believes as much:

Per DW Sports' Stefan Bienkowski, Guardiola has the ability to get the best out of players but believes he is guilty of neglecting academy players at Bayern—something WhoScored.com's Daniel Busch disagrees with:

Indeed, when he had access to Barcelona's La Masia academy, he did not hesitate to bring through Pedro and Sergio Busquets into the senior side, so his arrival in Manchester may not be the death knell of City's youth prospects.

It seems likely he will attempt to implement his style on the club just as he did in Munich, though the challenge will be in determining if it can be adapted to the rigours of the English game.

Further, the Premier League is arguably a more competitive league than La Liga and certainly more so than the Bundesliga.

Guardiola will have to contend with Antonio Conte, Mauricio Pochettino, Arsene Wenger, Jurgen Klopp and perhaps even Jose Mourinho, not to mention the Premier League's "lesser" sides becoming more competitive on and off the field thanks to the ever-increasing resources in the English game.

After the incredible standards he set at Barcelona, Guardiola will be regarded by some as a failure for being unable to win the Champions League at Bayern and the perception that his task at City is an easy one perhaps adds further pressure to succeed in England.

Taking over this City side will be his most difficult job in football to date, but if he can pull it off—and have the impact Xavi believes he will—he'll further cement his legacy as one of the game's greatest-ever coaches.