Garde reveals Mourinho admiration

Posted Tuesday, October 18, 2011 by ESPN

Lyon coach Remi Garde has expressed admiration for his Real Madrid counterpart's man-managing skills ahead of their upcoming Champions League clash.

Lyon travel to Santiago Bernabeu in Tuesday's Champions League fixture with hopes of wresting top spot in Group D from Real Madrid.

Both sides are unbeaten so far in this European campaign, with Lyon drawing Ajax and beating Dinamo Zagreb while Real Madrid secured wins against the same teams.

Garde, who is in his first year as a manager, spoke out to compliment Real Madrid coach Jose Mourinho's ability to manage his players.

"I admire Mourinho because he knows how to treat the players and he can get their respect," he said during a press conference.

"He has several coaching years behind him and he has won many titles. He treats players in an individual way, but always inside a group.

"But I identify myself with Arsene Wenger. I worked with him for three years and he taught me a lot."

The former Arsenal player declined to make a prediction on the match, but vows to go for all three points at the Spanish capital.

"All scenarios that include us getting points at the Santiago Bernabeu are positive, but I do not want to predict a result," he continued.

"It will be a hard task because Madrid are a collective and individual machine. They have many weapons, but we will not be victims. I want to get a positive result."

Lyon and Real Madrid last met in the previous Champions League's round of 16, where Los Blancos eased to a 4-1 victory on aggregate.