Guardiola’s assistant:“I’d have preferred Betis in the Super Cup final”

Lorenzo Buenaventura, Betis fan and Guardiola’s right-hand man at Manchester City: “Pep is the top dog, he’s the man. It doesn’t matter if he wins another trophy, it’s the process that counts”.

Manchester City physical trainer Lorenzo Buenaventura has been one of Pep Guardiola’s closest collaborators since 2008 when he was chosen to work alongside the coach at Barcelona. Wherever Pep has worked, Buenaventura has gone with him - from Barça to Bayern Munich then in 2016 to Manchester City, with whom he helped win the treble - the Premier League, FA Cup and Champions League last season.

As champions of Europe, City have the right to contest the UEFA Super Cup. They will face Sevilla in Athens on 16 August, a poignant match for Lorenzo, a lifelong Betis fan and son of Pedro Buenaventura senior, a legend in Heliópolis.

“It’s nice for me because we will be up against a team from my country, and from my part of Spain, Andalusia,” the physical trainer told Canal Sur about how he feels about the UEFA Super Cup final. While he is delighted with the Seville connection, Buenaventura couldn’t hide the obvious. “I would have preferred it to be Betis, I have to say. But it couldn’t be, so let it be Sevilla. We’ll try to win, as we always do. I think will be a close match, a great match”.

As for his boyhood club Betis, who finished last season sixth in LaLiga, qualifying for the Europa League, he said, “I think Betis has deserved a little more last season for the football they played. They’ve played very well, they’re one of the teams worth watching”.

After applauding Manuel Pellegrini for the job he’s doing at Betis, Buenaventura was also full of praise for Guardiola: “Pep has a number of helpers who give him a hand, but it’s mostly down