The star coach is convinced that modern football would be ideal for the high-end technician and reveals in which position he would use it.
Pep Guardiola, coach of English champions Manchester City, has praised legendary Italian playmaker Roberto Baggio in the highest tones. The Courier of the SporThe Spaniard said he would trust Baggio to have an even bigger career in modern football than he did when he was a player.
“If Baggio played football today, he would score 50 goals per season. There is no doubt about that,” enthused Guardiola, specifying: “I mean not just for me or Manchester City, but for every coach and every team. “
Guardiola: Baggio was “a phenomenon”
The star coach explained why the legend would fit better into today’s game with the defensive style of play in the former Serie A: “Roby was a phenomenon with only one really good leg and at a time when it was difficult for an attacker in Italian football Was to survive. There was hardly any space and a maximum of four or five chances per game. He still managed to score – and often in an incredible way. “
Even if Italian football generally puts a lot of emphasis on the defense, some coaches have given more focus on the offensive in recent years, according to Guardiola. For Baggio, whom he sees “on a par with Diego Maradona, Marco van Basten, Francesco Totti or Alessandro del Piero”, this would have been ideal according to the master coach.
Guardiola: “Baggio would play the wrong nine” at Manchester City
The now 54-year-old Italian recently said that he would like to play under a coach like Guardiola. The Spaniard would welcome this: “If he thinks about his retirement and gets in shape, I’ll be happy to get Baggio. He would play with me as the wrong nine. He wouldn’t have to run a lot, but he would have 500 ball contacts per game and 50 goals per season . “
During his playing days, Baggio was known as a “9.5”, a mixture of tens and center forward. During his stints at Juventus Turin, AC Milan and Inter Milan, he played for the who’s who of Italian football at the time and, accordingly, for the Squadra Azzurra. At the end of his career he was able to count Pep Guardiola among his teammates in Brescia.
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