Barcelona manager Luis Enrique has claimed that Pep Guardiola's early work at Manchester City proves that he is "the best current coach" in world football.
The 45-year-old spent four years in charge at Camp Nou between 2008 and 2012, steering the Spanish giants to three La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies.
Guardiola has since enjoyed relative success at Bayern Munich, where he dominated domestically but failed to lift another European crown, and he appears to be well on his way to turning current side Man City into a force after a solid start to life at the Etihad Stadium.
Ahead of Wednesday night's Champions League clash between City and Barcelona, Enrique told reporters: "For me [Guardiola] is the best current coach. I love attacking coaches like him. Since pre-season you can see the influence of Guardiola on City.
"He has a big part to play in his teams and they will want the ball, the same way that we do. There are games against opponents in which possession is not that important. It will be against Manchester City but that does not mean that who has more possession will win.
"It is a good chance [to move ahead in the group] but then we have to go to Manchester. It is the third game in the group and when this is over there will be still three games left. Nothing will be decided yet."
Barcelona have been given a further boost ahead of the match at Camp Nou after tying down Javier Mascherano and Neymar to new long-term contracts.
Daniel Lewis
