Thierry Henry has named Graeme Potter, Marcelo Bielsa, Guardiola and Scott Parker as four Premier League coaches he admires, saying their efforts ‘speak to him’ more than the others.
Henry singled out Parker for special praise as he sticks to his principles, even when it means conceding goals at times in the heat of relegation battle.
Fulham are still in the relegation zone, Parker’s team are 18th and two points behind Newcastle who are currently safe.
Recent wins over Liverpool, Everton and Sheffield have given Fulham a great chance of survival and even in the defeat to Manchester City, Henry was left impressed with Parker’s tactics.
‘Yes I do [admire Graham Potter], like Bielsa, like Pep, like Scott Parker,’ Henry said on Sky Sports.
‘Like the other day, he tried to play out from the back, conceded two goals out of it but in the first half he was getting pressed because he was being brave against Man City, like the way he went about it at Liverpool.
‘Yes, you’re going to concede goals like that because it’s how you play. ‘Other teams that kick the ball in the stand or refuse to play concede goals because they invite pressure.
‘It is what it is. This is how he likes to play, this speaks volumes to me. ‘I’m not saying other coaches are not good, I’m just saying this speaks a bit more to me because this is what I like to see.’
Fulham have a tricky next few matches as they play Leeds, Aston Villa, Wolves, Arsenal and Chelsea in their next five.
Parker said he took plenty of positives from the 3-0 defeat to Manchester City and will learn from errors that led to goals.
‘There are massive positives,’ he said. ‘People may look at the way the goals were conceded but if you try to take a team on like Manchester City there are risks that come from that.
‘We fell short. Overall I’m very pleased. ‘Big test now. Our season won’t be defined against a side like Man City. Now as always, we re-group, learn from the mistakes, take the positives and go again.’
