Guardiola: No surprise for RB Leipzig's success

For star coach Pep Guardiola, RB Leipzig's success comes as no surprise despite the upheaval in the summer. "The reason for their success is a clear strategy and that everyone is going in one direction. When that happens, you have a stable club. Then you win the cup, qualify for the Champions League and are ahead in the championship. I have great respect for that," said the Manchester City coach. The defending champions take on Leipzig on Wednesday night (9 p.m./DAZN).

Guardiola sees stability as the biggest guarantee of success. "You need three things. A board with a clear strategy, a coach with a clear game idea and the players for this style. When that happens, it always works. There are only problems if you want to change everything after a few defeats," the 52-year-old said. In the RB cosmos, he sees a clear line: "They play the same style, bought young players and sold them to become one of the richest clubs in the world."

The same stability Guardiola feels at City. The difference between the two clubs, however, is the expectation level. "In Leipzig, nobody demands to win the championship or the Champions League. But at City it's like that," the Spaniard said. That's why, he said, he has to choose a different strategy than Leipzig when it comes to transfers.