Pep Guardiola and Manchester City are currently enduring a nightmare. The club has failed to register a win in their last seven outings in all competitions, suffering six defeats and a draw. At the beginning of the season, no one would have thought of this.
The Manchester club is regarded as the favorite to retain the EPL, a league title they have won four times in a roll. Fans expected the highly successful English champions to make it five league titles in roll but quite the opposite so far, the club has suffered five consecutive losses.
These results have got pundits questioning Guadiola’s style of play. Many thought other clubs have become accustomed to the managerial style of the Spanish coach while other pundits and fans alike beg to differ. They blame the club’s woes on several injuries to top-profile players.
Who is Pep Guardiola?
Pep Guardiola is a Spanish football coach who currently manages Manchester City. He was also a former footballer who played for clubs like Barcelona and Roma.
The man began his coaching career in Spain and Barca to be specific, a club he has a very close tie with. Being a Catalan, the man began his journey as a footballer at Barcelona, playing at the club academy in the 80’s. In the 90’s, he graduated as a senior team player and his footballing career took form and shape from there.
After his illustrious playing career transcended appearances in Italy and Asia, the man returned to his home where it all began to start all over again, but this time, as a coach.
Having been an integral part of the Barca team that conquered Spain and Europe in the 90s, it is no surprise the man harbors the coaching prowess he is known for. He is often credited as a coaching genius for various reasons.
Aside from winning a lot of trophies since he ventured into coaching, Guardiola’s teams are often a delight to watch. His style of play at Barca explains this better. With some of the world’s best players at his disposal, the man turned in spectacular performances each time his players took to the field. This made him a household name in Spain and even far beyond the borders of Europe.
In no time, the man became a highly sought-after figure in the world of football. This is such that, after the man departed Spain and announced he was taking a break from football, he kept receiving offers from top clubs around the world. But the man is known to be a man of his word.
He declined all offers and embarked on a year-long sabbatical. During this period, the man took classes in the United States to improve his English language speaking skills. He was rumored to replace the aging and outgoing coach and legend of Manchester United, Sir Alex Ferguson.
The Scot is a longtime admirer of the Spaniard having lost two Champions League finals to him. He thought Guardiola was a befitting replacement for him. Guardiola has what it takes to lift the club to the next level.
Also, the fact Guardiola was taking English language lessons made fans believe he was getting set to take over coaching duties at Manchester.
But as fate would have it, the deal never materialized as the man opted for Germany as his next adventure while at Manchester, they had David Moyes who had impressed at Everton although without a silverware take over as a replacement for the departed legendary coach.
How did Guardiola adapt to German football in Bayern Munich?
It is often said that adaptation is the spice of life and a quality one must have to survive. Pep tried to adapt to German football by finding a balance between his pattern and the traditional style of play in Germany.
In Germany, Guardiola produced several inspiring moments to win lots of domestic trophies. He won the league titles throughout his time in Germany. In addition, he won some domestic cups but failed to replicate the European success he enjoyed with his former team.
His failure to win the Champions League trophy with Barca made many question his coaching record. Some critics argued the man has been fortunate to have some excellent players in his ranks since turning a coach. They thought the man couldn’t do anything special without the gifted players in his team.
Guardiola’s man management
Aside from his amazing coaching style and record, the Spaniard has had to contend with some criticism about his man management. The man has faced backlash from fans of some stars he has managed. Many think he likes to be in the limelight and to do this, he contends with some star players for fame.
They think this explains why he insisted he refused to work with Ronaldinho when he became a Barca coach. Ronaldo was about the biggest name in world football at the time Guardiola was appointed the coach of Barca. They thought he discarded the Brazilian because of his star status.
Perhaps, the highlight of Guardiola’s mismanagement at Barca was his handling of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. The Swede international had made a sensational switch from Inter Milan but after a few months, Guardiola fell out with the Swedish. Zlatan thought his rift with the Barca coach was not a footballing issue.
He thought the coach was insecure because of his highly decorated footballing pedigree. The misunderstanding between the pair saw the Swede spend only a season in Spain before heading back to Italy in a loan spell with AC Milan.
Also, in what can be called a fairytale, when Guardiola was appointed a manager at Manchester City, he met Yaya Toure there who had worked hard to carve a niche for himself as an Icon in the club and the fans of the club.
Guardiola came in and after two seasons, deemed Yaya Toure unfit to make his team. But to be fair, to the Spaniard, Yaya Toure has passed his best years when the Spaniard came to City.
Other players currently preparing their black books for Guardiola include Leroy Sane of Germany. After a previous excellent season at City, the German failed to make the team to the World Cup and Guardiola added to his misery when he started to put him on the bench.
This made Sane hand in a transfer request to the board before he was swooped up by Bayern. Raheem Sterlin and Kelvin Debruyne are also suffering the same neglect from Guardiola considering their time with Manchester City.
Manchester City’s current woes
Manchester City has suffered badly in the last two months and it is no thanks to injuries to star players. Key players like Debruyne, Rodri, Ruben Diaz, Doku, and a few others have all been sidelined at some point during the current campaign.
These injuries have seen the club suffer badly. After five defeats on the roll, the club was finally on its way to registering their first win in the Uefa Champions League against Feyenoord.
The club registered a 3-goal lead thanks to a brace from Haaland and a single from Gundongan. But their Dutch opposition put on an impressive display in the second half to see City surrender their three-goal lead.
Victory against Feyenoord would have elevated the team from their embarrassing four-goal defeat at home to Tottenham over the weekend. A victory would have set them in tune to face league leaders, Liverpool in the coming week.
Man City and Pep must be ready to spend big during the January transfer window if they want to compete for the league title this season.
