He said: “I’ve only been in management 18 months or so and it takes time to find your own identity as a manager.
“One thing Sir Alex did teach me was to have high standards on and off the pitch which I try to implement in every job I do.
“But I am my own person and have to have my own identity. I can learn from Sir Alex, Terry Venables and Glenn Hoddle but I’ve got to have my own identity.”
Blackburn will face the Champions League winners on Saturday in the Premier League.
He added: “It’s never a good time to play the European champions and the championship champions. I’m under no illusions. It’ll be a really, really hard game for us, we know that.
“We’ve had three wins and have got a lot of confidence. They’ve got a few players missing but I don’t think it really means anything.
“But why not win? Look at Arsenal’s result against Hull last week, it’s got to be the yardstick for clubs like Blackburn.”
