Arsene Wenger has been full of praise for Pep Guardiola ahead of Arsenal’s trip to Manchester City.

Although City aren’t exactly storming the league since Pep’s arrival at the Etihad, they’re still fourth in the table, just one point behind the Gunners.

There’s still a long way to go and considering the Spaniard is gradually trying to bed into a completely new league, the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich manager’s time in Manchester has hardly been a disaster.

We’ll see if I’m still saying that at the end of the season.

Pep Guardiola and Arsene Wenger
Arsenal’s French coach Arsène Wenger (R) welcomes to Barcelona’s coach Pep Guardiola (L) before their Champions League round of 16, 1st leg football match Arsenal vs FC Barcelona on February 16, 2011 at the Emirates Stadium in London. (LLUIS GENE/AFP/Getty Images)

Speaking ahead of the clash, Wenger explained why it’s so important for a manager to stick to what he believes in: his philosophy.

“[He is] similar [to me] – he tries to play,” Wenger said.

“Every manager has a personality and can only act with his own personality.

“You cannot copy a manager , you can only be who you are, and he has been influenced at Barcelona by the Cruyff period when he was a player. I think he has strong beliefs and that for me is the most important thing for a manager.”

Wenger knows better than most how important it is to stick with a system you believe in, even though it might not be the most obvious one. He’s dealt with people slamming his way of football, transfers and just about everything else for years.

Him and Pep are quite similar in that regard.

However, I’m sure the niceties will stop come Sunday afternoon.