A glittering start to his managerial career with tenures at Barcelona and Bayern Munich, Pep Guardiola has certainly established himself as one of the world’s elite managers. With the Spaniard set to replace Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini in the summer, City fans have been excited and optimistic about their chances in every competition next season. But here’s why they should not get excited too early.
While Guardiola has experienced successful campaigns at both of his previous clubs, neither have been in as poor position as City. The Sky Blues were knocked out of the Champions League at the semi-final stage on Wednesday with a less-than-impressive performance at the Bernabeu and are very much involved in the fight for a place in the top four to qualify for Europe’s elite competition again next season.
At Barcelona, Guardiola inherited a side with the likes of Thierry Henry and Ronaldinho in his ranks as well as the emerging talent of Lionel Messi. The squad that was already built for him upon his arrival is arguably the Catalan giants’ best side in recent years – bar the inclusion of Sergio Busquets and Gerard Pique, which was down to Guardiola. This was a Barcelona side who had massively underachieved under Frank Rijkaard and Guardiola managed to change the ethos at the club and win them the treble in his first season.
Having added 11 more trophies to his collection at the Nou Camp, the 45-year-old decided to take a sabbatical for a year before joining the reigning champions of Germany and Europe, Bayern Munich.
Guardiola’s reign at Bayern Munich rings of a similar tone to Pellegrini’s at Manchester City – a failure. Jupp Heynckes had ended his managerial career with a memorable treble – a feat which Guardiola failed to repeat. The Bayern Munich side has regressed under Guardiola and been knocked out in three consecutive Champions League semi-finals.
Which leaves the question – is Guardiola the right man for the City job?
His worrying lack of experience in having to build a squad himself suggests not. Since the announcement in February that he would take over at the Etihad Stadium in the summer, it has been widely reported that Guardiola will oversee a summer overhaul at the club and recreate it himself. While I do not dismiss his ability to lure world-class players to the club, it is concerning that this will be his first attempt at transforming a squad.
After years of waiting for his arrival, the expectations on Guardiola’s shoulders will be huge. The City hierarchy are looking for him to turn the club into a European giant and finally win the club a first Champions League crown.
Already a fans favourite, Guardiola is likely to be given more time to improve the results than some of City’s previous managers, but the fans could quite easily turn against him if the Citizens endure another season of inconsistency and unimpressive football.
Guardiola has proven at Barcelona that he can change the mentality of a football club, but so did Pellegrini during his first year at City.
Guardiola isn’t the Utopian manager that some City fans think he is and the sooner they realise that, the better.
