Patrick Kluivert talks Man City's growth under Pep Guardiola ahead of the Champions League final

Sky Sports News
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3 Video Views·Jun 10, 2023
We've been watching legends on the pitch in the build-up to this Champions League final.
I'm joined by a European legend now, Patrick Kluivert.
Patrick, obviously you're out here playing a bit of a sixer side.
There's some great, great action on show here,
but we're all, of course, in town for a huge game this weekend.
Manchester City, what have you made of their growth under Pep Guardiola?
Well, do we have a second?
No, I think that Pep, when I play with Pep in Barcelona,
he already signed that he's a director.
He knows how to put every individual in their position to make the team work.
And I think that that is what he did for years and years.
And this is the year when he probably might get
the three biggest prizes in football, in club history.
And I think that, you know, he's got
all the players in his team to make
the Champions League final to be Manchester City tomorrow.
You mentioned the treble.
He did that when he was at Barcelona in 2009, that first season.
But how much more difficult is that, doing that in England?
Well, first of all, the first in Barcelona was not that easy,
but to do it and, you know, he's got all the papers to do it
in a different club.
Of course, he knows what kind of players he wants in his team,
what characteristics a certain position asks.
And he did it.
And I think that tomorrow, with all respect,
Inter don't have a chance to win from Manchester City.
Can I ask you about Erling Haaland?
Because when you came through, you were this young striker
scoring so many goals in domestic leagues, in Europe, winning trophies.
What have you made of Erling Haaland's growth?
Well, I think that if you see what he does in his first season in Manchester City,
I don't know how many hat-tricks he had in the first six games.
He had five hat-tricks.
I think this guy is unreal.
The way he moves on the pitch.
He is like a predator.
He scores goals for fun.
In what way?
Also question mark, because he makes the craziest move to make the goals.
And for Manchester City, it's really important to score the goals.
He's an amazing player, an amazing striker.
Do you think he's the best in the world right now as a striker?
One of the best, for sure.
If not the best.
And what makes him so special?
You talk about that there is movement, but what is it?
I mean, is there more to it?
I mean, is it natural ability?
Is it the way he works on his game?
What have you seen?
Well, I think it's also important that you have to look at the players who he plays with.
If you see around him, Kevin de Bruyne, Mahrez, you name them.
And, you know, Bernardo Silva.
He's got a team around him who makes it also difficult, easy to score.
And I think it's also thanks to them
to let him score so many goals, because with all respect,
if you compare him to Mbappé, Mbappé is more like a player
who's making the runs in front and also scoring.
So I think Haaland and Mbappé are at the moment
the best players in the competitions.
And just finally then, we'll finish on the final itself.
You think that Manchester City will win.
How do they win the game tomorrow night?
Well, I think they have the mindset to...
Don't get me wrong, with Inter, it's not that easy because they're playing a system.
And if, you know, they're going to play with five behind,
it's very difficult to get the spaces in the team.
But I think really it will be 3-0 or 4-1 for Manchester City.
If they score an early first goal,
things were getting very, very difficult for Inter.
Lovely stuff. Patrick Kluivert, thank you very much.
I know you've got a game to play.
Patrick Kluivert then with us on Sky Sports News,
head of the Champions League final.
