Wednesday 18 January 2017 12:10, UK
Former Barcelona striker David Villa has backed Pep Guardiola to “change the situation” and be a success at Manchester City.
Guardiola started his City career with 10 wins out of 10 in all competitions earlier this season but his side have been criticised for inconsistent spells since and now find themselves fifth in the Premier League and 10 points behind leaders Chelsea after a 4-0 defeat to Everton on Sunday.
Villa, who is now in Major League Soccer with New York City FC, played under Guardiola for Barcelona, winning La Liga twice and the Champions League, and he says his fellow Spaniard will overcome this tricky spell.
"He has a difficult period right now but I believe he will change the situation," Villa said.
"[It] is normal to have a difficult period with the team, but he is great and I think he has a methodology and he has a very good coaching staff to change the situation and the future [at City] will be better for sure.
"Soccer is difficult in every country and I am so lucky that I was able to play for Guardiola. He is a great coach, for everyone who likes soccer. But in soccer it is difficult to win and he has almost always won. His statistics are amazing."
Villa, who scored 59 goals in 97 appearances for Spain which also saw him win the World Cup and European Championships with his country, credited Guardiola with making him into a better all-round player.
"I was lucky to train under him. When I arrived at Barcelona I had always played as a number nine and when I played with him he changed my position and my mentality and after that I think I was a better player," the 35-year-old said.
"I was able to understand more about different positions on the field and not only about scoring goals. He was great for my career."
