Austrian-born Hasenhuttl earned widespread praise for his work while in charge of RB Leipzig in the German Bundesliga before joining the Saints in 2018 where he has gone on to earn similar plaudits.
Meanwhile, Liverpool (Jurgen Klopp), Chelsea (Thomas Tuchel) and now Manchester United (Ralf Rangnick) all have influential German managers at the helm with the former duo leading their teams to Champions League success.
Guardiola knows all about the quality of the German top-flight himself, having spent three years operating in the Bundesliga when in charge of Bayern Munich between 2013 and 2016.
And asked at his pre-match press conference before Saturday’s trip to tackle Hasenhuttl’s Southampton why he felt so many Premier League managers had sought to appoint managers from the Bundesliga, Guardiola had a simple explanation.
“Because they are good,” the City boss declared.
“Why are they good? They prepare well. They have teams with quality, they prepare well with the process and methodology. They have common patterns.
CITY+ | SIGN UP TO ACCESS EXCLUSIVE CONTENT
“Jurgen (Klopp), (Thomas) Tuchel, (Ralf) Rangnick, (Ralph) Hasenhuttl, all of them are excellent managers.
“I learned from the league. I learned from the players I had there. The transitions, the gegenpressing...
“I learned a lot. It is not a surprise to me. All of them are exceptional managers.”
Play the video to watch Pep’s press conference in full…
How to follow Southampton v City on the Man City app
Manchester City travel St Mary’s on Saturday to face Southampton in the Premier League.
The game kicks off at 17:30 (UK) and we will have full coverage on the official Man City app, which provides everything you need in one place so you can stay close to the action.
Minute-by-minute text updates get under way in our Matchday Centre at 15:30 (UK), whilst our Matchday Live show starts one hour before kick-off.
Presenter Natalie Pike will be joined in the studio by Paul Dickov and Nedum Onuoha, who will be providing the usual mix of analysis and entertainment before the game begins.
Our guests will also be answering fans’ questions throughout the show and you can get involved by sending a WhatsApp to +447537186538.
They’ll reconvene at half-time and to share their thoughts on the opening 45-minutes and again after the full-time whistle for an in-depth debrief, which will include reaction from Pep Guardiola and a player.
During the game, you can enjoy live audio commentary in the Matchday Centre, as Alistair Mann and Shaun Goater guide you through the 90-minutes.
And, once the final whistle sounds, the app is the best place to relive all the action.
Highlights of the game will be made available for free at 19:15 and CITY+ subscribers can watch a full 90-minute replay of the game at midnight.
The best way to follow Manchester City is by downloading the official app!
Download on your mobile phone or tablet via the Apple’s App Store or Google Play Store, or, if you already have the app, then simply visit the stores and update.
Don’t forget to turn push notifications on, that way you’ll get reminders of everything as the day unfolds.
