Management interest: JT understudying Man City boss Pep Guardiola
John Terry has made no secret of his desire to step up to management, and now the former defender has revealed one of his biggest coaching inspirations – Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola.
The Aston Villa assistant manager shared a photo of him reading one of the Spaniard’s coaching guides during a day off from training as he prepares for the team’s clash against Newcastle on Friday.
The Chelsea legend called Guardiola ‘the main man’ and said he was ‘learning and studying from the former Bayern and Barcelona boss in a post on social media.
Terry revealed he had been out running before working out in the gym and later used his spare time to brush up on Guardiola’s pearls of wisdom from two separate booklets detailing instructions for passing, possession and technical training drills.
He wrote on Instagram: ‘DAY OFF… 7k & GYM. Studying and learning from the main man PEP GUARDIOLA. Getting ready for our game Friday @avfcofficial’
Guardiola has a number of coaching books published as an esteemed manager highly praised for the attractive style his teams play.
Two guides with the same cover as the one Terry was reading are titled ’88 Attacking Combinations and Positional Patterns of Play Direct from Pep’s Training Sessions’ and ’85 Passing, Rondos, Possession Games & Technical Circuits’.
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It appears Villa are gearing up to polish off their passing play, with Terry showing a tactic sheet opposite the booklets outlining how the team hope to move the ball around against the Magpies at St James’ Park.
Terry, who has been working under Villa boss Dean Smith since 2018, retired as a player in the same year after a one-year stint with the Midlands outfit – ending a 20-year career after captaining Chelsea to five league titles.
He has been linked to several managerial posts in recent months, including recent vacancies at both Derby County and Bournemouth.
The 40-year-old and his Villa side – who sit ninth in the table as they push for a European spot – will go up against Guardiola’s City next month on April 17. The Spaniard is hoping to secure a third Premier League title this season but was dealt a set-back after losing 2-0 to rivals Manchester United on Sunday.