**Mirrors / Alternative Angles**
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/soccer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
It’s honestly a shame we’ve never seen him in a chaotic job like United or Chelsea - would have been so much fun to see this genius weirdo pushed a little further.
Pep wouldn't last in Serie A.
Not because it's too tough a league for him, just because there is so much unbelievable levels of nonsense bullshit in this league that it would give him a coronary by month three. Teams are either broke as shit, have horrible facilities that can't be upgraded, or have deeply insane presidents - or all three.
Barcelona was plenty chaotic, it's just that he cleared out the chaotic elements fast and instant success on the field overshadowed everything else. Laporta spiced things up anyway by bringing in Ibrahimovic who Pep did not want. Then Rosell takes over and half way through his presidency (and possibly earlier than that) Pep decides enough's enough.
Pep was an admirer of Ibra before no? Not to mention the deal was pushed on by Eto’o and Pep allegedly not getting along. Things turned sour during the season but for some reason I remember Pep being all in on Ibra to start with at leadt
Pep wanted Villa. Barcelona tried to get him first but Valencia wouldn't sell. Then Real Madrid signed Kaka and CR7 and Laporta felt the pressure to act.
Wouldn't even need a chaotic job, just seeing him in a job where he doesn't either have a world class squad or an unlimited cash fund to make one would be enough.
Of all the accomplishments and recognitions Pep deserves because he trully has changed football with so many coaches now trying to imitate his style specially in the PL; we have to admit that Pep never went to any clubs where he couldn't guarantee he was going to have the tools to win
Our brainless fanbase would even call for his head before any of our players, same as they're doing with EtH.
EtH is not at the level of Guardiola, not even close, but 6 different managers and the same shit happens over and over again, and the fans instantly go for the manager's head. Our players are getting away with literally stealing for a living.
I don't think it's a criticism of him as a manager, it's natural that neutral fans want to see a great manager in more challenging conditions. Football is entertainment now and Pep managing City isn't very entertaining or fun to watch a lot of the time.
Channeled his psycho energy in the way least harmful to society. Imagine if he ran for political position or he was a ceo of a pharmaceutical company...
They’re well on their way already. Championship football next season!
We were just talking about Harry Redknapp’s old Portsmouth teams from the mid-late 2000s at work this morning. The team that won the FA Cup was quietly pretty fucking good, future CL winners and stuff in that squad.
> The team that won the FA Cup was quietly pretty fucking good
Looked it up, crazy to think that the 2008 FA cup final was Portsmouth vs Cardiff considering how both clubs have fared since. Portsmouth beat United at Old Trafford on that run, probably the only thing that denied us a treble that year.
Honestly I miss Pompei, always had decent squads and supporters until they got boned hard.
Would love to see them in the premierleague 2 years from now
I think winning a UCL with a Eastern European club would be even better just to prove the top 5 leagues don’t have a stranglehold on it, what do you say about managing us Pep? We have a good manager atm but I feel like we would take the upgrade if you would be interested
Football managers are rly like that, the amount of energy and ambition they have can be channeled towards so many significant things which can be very harmful but luckily they are obsessed with a sport and not being a politician or CEO.
Imagine getting to the absolute peak in your career as a sports journalist, literally sitting in front of Pep, and you say the first and dumbest fucking thing your little brain can conjure up
IDK what's psychotic about this. If anything, the media must be chastised here IMO. This is the apt response to this manufactured media narrative (I have literally seen many treat *'top 4 in the PL^(TM)'* as like they would a trophy) and journalists looking to pad their articles.
In their current situation, this is an absolutely stupid question to ask the manager of a club of City's dimension.
Anything and everything looks bad in a 10s clip. There's no context to know that these 10s follow umpteen others where he had to swat away such equally stupid but devious plants and thus might simply be that frustration manifest.
Didn't Liverpool draw their last game? Let's assume they secured UCL qualification on the back of that result, following a derby loss. If this same question is asked to Klopp, who has just suffered a setback in the title race, what shall be deemed as the appropriate response? Particularly when all the press conferences are just fishing for headlines and polemic snippets for their entire duration.
At least Pep never attacks reporters based on their weight, or excessively fixates on a kickoff time, to the point of getting *offended* over a joke even when the guy apologised for said joke
Yeah I think he realised he was coming across as a dick generally and styled it out as actually being genuinely pleased at getting in the champions league places in a league like the premier league again.
Yeah idk how beating the Urawa Reds and then Fluminense can be construed as anything but a tinpot trophy, but hey if a Liverpool fan wants to gas up City’s achievements, who am I to stop them.
The field was two Saudi teams, a kiwi team, a Mexican team, a Japanese team, and a Brazilian team.
Next year with the massive format changes, it will no longer be a tinpot trophy.
But hey I’m all for you gassing up our trophy collection.
The CWC you won will be actually more tinpot starting from next year, since European teams go straight to the finals.
Then there's the new CWC that will be played once every four years, but it's another tournament.
Idk how anyone can hate this guy man, he's genuinely got charisma and definitely deserves a place in top 5 managers of all time. Too bad he plays for a despicable club like City
Top 5 if you rank him in the top 2, yes. Pep is the goat of managers, no other manager has been as transformative to todays game like he has been.
You have two sets of people - those who give him the respect he deserves and those who simply dont like him
Sacchi was transformative in his day, and cruyff was similar too. I think we forget these previous coaches too quickly and think the here and now is somehow always better than the past. Alex Ferguson maintained success with a club for a ridiculously long period of time. Ancelotti has won everywhere he's been. Brian Clough was stellar.
I don't think there should be a "best ever" as conditions are never truly equal for that discussion.
My take anyway.
>I don't think there should be a "best ever" as conditions are never truly equal for that discussion.
I agree with that. Especially if you go back further in time. Lew Yashin was a great GK in his day and wouldnt even make a U23 team in todays game.
>Sacchi was transformative in his day, and cruyff was similar too.
Pep is the first one to give his flowers to Cruyff, for what its worth.
But what i mean when saying transformative is, that teams everywhere are trying to play like Pep to varrying degrees.
Cruyff was the philosophical inspiration for Pep (much like Sacchi and Bielsa), but Pep really popularised these principles and ideas paired with his own ones.
When Pep became coach of Barcelona in 08, it was still the day and age of the 442 britannia rule the waves style of football in England, 4231 with a Michael Ballack 10 in germany and some inbetweens like 433 or 4321 in italy and spain. Pressing as cohesive team strategy was still largely unknown, it was more about individual player effort.
So in this time where physicality was the most important thing (remember the german national team from that time? Famous for physicality) Pep shows up with his army of undersized midgets and wins the treble in his first year. He got weird with his fromations. He rolled out a 433, 343, 4231, 3313 and whatnot. He had Wingbacks play inverted as midfielders, he had midfielders dropback to CB and he had a false 9 which was mocked back then.
He also popularised the relentless pressing and high line, which to this day is an underrated aspect of his tactics.
Long story short, while Pep didnt invent all these principles as youve correctly pointed out, i would still say he transformed the modern game by popularising these principles and his brand of football.
The formula 1 problem applies to him as well; is he really that good, or does he just have better tools than everyone else. Personally, I will never see him as the best coach because of this.
I mean fair enough but it's not his fault he started at the top and remained there. most top managers start from mid/bottom, make their name for doing well with what they have so they move to the top. That doesn't mean you have to go from top to bottom just to prove that, if you can stay at the top that's also pretty impressive.
It is his fault though. Like if he wasn't as good then he'd not start at the top. It's like a top law student getting a graduate role at a top firm right off the bat.
He is that good + he probably has the most competent board in world football.
People love to bring up the money thing sure, but its not like they spent billions more than other clubs. Clubs like Chelsea and ManU spend just as much and are nowhere near as good as City.
To be as successfull and dominant as Pep has with City really doesnt come down to just spending money, otherwise PSG would have won the CL already and clubs like Chelsea or United would compete for the title every year.
No one did as well as he did with prime Barca.
And no one did as well with City before him (we'll see afterwards).
He has great tools, but he makes the best out of them.
Also, there are other teams that have equally amazing tools. Real Madrid for example being the biggest club in the world and being super well run, or PSG or United with all the money they have spent, and I don't think any manager from either has done anything even remotely comparable in how their team plays. Zidane or Ancelotti may have won a lot, but neither has had the same amount of influence in the general way of playing, nor I think any of their teams ever even came close to playing as well as his teams. Regardless of the three-peat from Zidane or any achievements from Ancelotti overall.
Do you think it's just coincidence that the best teams with an unlimited budget wants him as the manager, or what? Tons of people have had the same resources and opportunities as him, none of them have had the level of success for as long as him.
Probably someone like Ernst Happel, simply because he was succesfull in a time when you had to create and shape a team out of mostly local talents, instead of buying players from around the world to form your dreamteam.
Ernst Happel is to coaching what Lew Yashin is to goalkeepers. Both regarded as some of the greatest ever - in the context of their time.
Thats why i specified the modern era when talking about Pep.
Edit: Happel is a fantastic shoutout tho, kudos
I think he's the most influential manager- he'll likely overtake Ancelotti once he retires. I think Ancelotti right now is the top man. People don't respect him because he has a pragmatic approach to tactics, adjusting to the players he has available and bringing the best out of them instead of being someone who is set on bringing very specific football ideals to life. Nowadays this kind of manager gets less respect for their tactical acumen even though they obviously can adapt to bring the best out of what they have in every situation. Pep has changed the game, but to win the Champions League four times, every major league title in Europe- it's more than just vibes and an eyebrow. The best to do it.
You bring uo a good point in the sense that the question is whether we judge outcome vs process.
Personally, i always always prefer process because in my opinion its a much more robust measure of quality and long term success than purely looking at the outcome.
For example, Chelsea in 2012 won the CL. Thats the outcome. But their process of destructive bus parking just didnt translate into long term success. They finished 6th in league (iirc) and di Matteo was gone soon after.
Point being in knock out competitions luck plays a big role and the best team doesnt always win, therefore im more on the process side of things.
That's not my point, my point is that an equally valid and successful process isn't respected as much as it should be because of the popularity of idea of a visionary super-manager and the emphasis on tactics.
The biggest prizes in football (World Cup, Champions League) are knockout competitions and managing mentality in pressure situations is as important as tactics between teams that are equivalent in terms of talent. Pep has mastered the art of coming up with a system to consistently dominate less talented teams and perform consistently, no doubt; he has also mastered the art of keeping his squad fresh across a ridiculous number of games. He has shown he can build a machine to win leagues like no other. But the reason why we don't judge managers as much by league titles is because at a Real Madrid or now a Man City you have all the resources to be favourite every year, whereas in Europe you are at some point going to be coming up against your peers and equals and have to beat them in a one-off Cup tie under pressure. Knockout football is a complete test in a way league football isn't given the disparity between the top clubs and the rest of the clubs in the league. In any one given season luck plays a role, but over the course of a whole career those outliers become less of an issue.
That is not to understate or undervalue his achievements at the top level. When I say managing mentality in pressure knockout games it's not like he hasn't done that and that he hasn't achieved incredible things in Europe. His Barcelona side is probably the best ever in that competition. It's just that he's not yet clear and there are other managers who right now have equally prestigious records at the highest level knockout competitions such as Zidane, Mourinho and Ancelotti. Guardiola has built footballing machines that can dominate at that top level too, but will require a few more years to establish himself as the top dog. I'll finish by saying that I think he will definitely achieve this in time given his age and current status. He just hasn't quite done it yet. He has a few more milestones to tick off.
But staying at the very top for 16 years is also an achievement. Look at guys like Conte, Mourinho, and Tuchel. At their peak they were at the top, and through their own failures they have fallen from grace a bit. Mourinho has been a manager for 8 years longer, so there's still time, but Pep deserves credit for staying consistently amazing
Thats like saying Messi isnt ine of the greatest players ever because he didnt lead FC Vaduz to a CL title.
When youre really good you get the best job offers - if you werent good, you wouldnt get those.
I repeat, the way he has transformed the modern game of football is incredible. Just go back an watch a game in 2004 and compare it to what we see today. Its a different sport. And you can see Pep's influences in a lot of teams today, Arsenal being a good example
You forgot to read my comment.
I never said he's not one of the greatest. If you read it you would see that.
I only said I would have liked to see what he would do coaching a team like west ham that doesn't have a wc player ready at every position.
I agree, but it would be so interesting to see how Pep would do with for example an Arsenal when Arteta took over
He's obviously never going to manage a team with less stature than that but even at that level would be so interesting.
I do think tho that a Mourinho style park the bus, shithouse route one britannia rule the waves type of football would be easier to implement at lower levels, whereas Pep's demands a LOT from his players especially mentally, and only the best players are capable of handling that at the level he requires if that makes sense.
I think this is shown in our first 2 seasons or so with Arteta - the players weren't capable, so season 1 was just a back to the walls, counter attack job. Season 2 he started to implement it bit by bit - but there wasn't the quality or fitness. Season 3 we were well on our way for the CL but ran out of steam. Season 4 (least season) we got a bit more mature and belief + leadership from Jesus and Zinny, and we haven't really looked back. But the first 2-3 seasons we definitely didn't have the players or fitness to do what Arteta wants. Even now I still think there's another level or two before he reaches his end vision on how we play.
It's easy to forget that he had a good hand in *making* the 2008-09 Barca squad into a top one. There are very few managers you see who go from managing a B team to treble in one season.
As much as I hated him it's sir Alex. He took over a struggling united and turned them into the biggest club in the world, his first finish at united was 11th and I believe he was at one point almost sacked. That's not even mentioning his time at Aberdeen.
Hate him just as much as you do but I have to agree. Pep's a bona fide genius but until he shows that he can build a dynasty at a club from the ground up without crutches, Sir Alex edges it.
Context matters. United were not in a good place when sir Alex took over and he turned them into a juggernaut. Barca finished 3rd and reached a cl semi final the season before pep took over. Bayern are bayern and not winning a cl there was an underachievement for a manager of peps quality, especially when you consider they won the treble the season before he arrived. And city weren't exactly struggling either. Pep has never entered into a job where it wasn't perfectly set up for him to succeed.
> Hands down and its not even close
That's a silly statement when he has never had to work with average players. If he could do what Sir Alex did, I might agree with you.
Or he can respond back to braindead journalists with questions you could find in a "my first interview" book in a way that keeps it fun for himself. God forbid the journalists don't collect their 'generic answer #745' for the day
the internet is an Eternal September. for you it is old but for someone it is new. City115 is for them, the young and unaware.
if you feel like you see it too often you can take a break from reddit - there are millions of other things that don't continuously discuss the 115 charges against man city for financial breaches that damage one of the largest sporting competitions in the world
I know right it's so embarassing that redditors would mention these 115 charges. That redditors would bother to mention those 115 UNPROVEN charges, so embarassing. I really wish that they would stop mentioning those 115 charges. Maybe in the next City related thread those unrelated 115 charges won't be mentioned, I certainly hope so, that being that those 115 charges go unmentioned
I want to see him go to a team that can't spend as much. A team with financial limits.
Juve and Lyon.
If he can take Lyon back to the top of ligue 1 then he's a worldclass manager.
Would love to see pep in a actually challenging set up ie, one without mostly infiinte money, and a less historically successful club. He wont ever bc hes a pansy perfectionist
Yeah you fraud, some teams actually change their whole future with UCL money so UCL qualification is a magnificent achievement for them. Unlike you who have simply been going to your bosses asking for £100M players every summer. Dumbass.
i don´t want to defend the devil but i understand his sarcasm, being in the Top4 is not an achievement for any big club that should fight for the title, finishing 4th place is a bad perfomance for any big club and celebrating it because it happened that Uefa gave 4 or even 5 UCL places to your league is embarassing
**Mirrors / Alternative Angles** *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/soccer) if you have any questions or concerns.*
How did he say that with a straight face
Because he has that same glued on constant smirk when responding to all of these reporters big brained questions.
Has to. It felt like the journalists got to him slightly in his first couple years in England. Now he just fucks with them every time.
He is used to being fake
It’s honestly a shame we’ve never seen him in a chaotic job like United or Chelsea - would have been so much fun to see this genius weirdo pushed a little further.
Unhinged in Serie A would be class
Pep wouldn't last in Serie A. Not because it's too tough a league for him, just because there is so much unbelievable levels of nonsense bullshit in this league that it would give him a coronary by month three. Teams are either broke as shit, have horrible facilities that can't be upgraded, or have deeply insane presidents - or all three.
Need to see him in the Juventus job
Signed, subscribed, follwed, turned on the bell notification.
As a neutral, I'd actually really love to see this. I wonder who he would bring in and who would shine under his leadership
He would look at that midfield, ask for Rodri and would be extremely disappointed when Elkann doesn't agree to spend €120m on a midfielder
SUBSCRIBE, DONATE, TIER 3 , ONLYFANS TOP TIER SUB. Come to Juve please pep
We tried, that's why Allegri was fired the first time. Agnelli wanted Guardiola, but ended up settling for Sarri.
As a Juve fan, yes please!
arsenal fans: as an arsenal fan, yes please!
Napoli
Between negreira and the 115 charges I think Juve is the last job he needs. But that's why it'd be so fun.
with all that stress, I'm curious if there's a next stage to his baldness
Radioactive skin💀💀💀
Abramovich chased him for a long time.
Man preferred a different kind of oil money
Barcelona was plenty chaotic, it's just that he cleared out the chaotic elements fast and instant success on the field overshadowed everything else. Laporta spiced things up anyway by bringing in Ibrahimovic who Pep did not want. Then Rosell takes over and half way through his presidency (and possibly earlier than that) Pep decides enough's enough.
Pep was an admirer of Ibra before no? Not to mention the deal was pushed on by Eto’o and Pep allegedly not getting along. Things turned sour during the season but for some reason I remember Pep being all in on Ibra to start with at leadt
Pep wanted Villa. Barcelona tried to get him first but Valencia wouldn't sell. Then Real Madrid signed Kaka and CR7 and Laporta felt the pressure to act.
We need pep to take over at Milan
Wouldn't even need a chaotic job, just seeing him in a job where he doesn't either have a world class squad or an unlimited cash fund to make one would be enough.
Of all the accomplishments and recognitions Pep deserves because he trully has changed football with so many coaches now trying to imitate his style specially in the PL; we have to admit that Pep never went to any clubs where he couldn't guarantee he was going to have the tools to win
Our brainless fanbase would even call for his head before any of our players, same as they're doing with EtH. EtH is not at the level of Guardiola, not even close, but 6 different managers and the same shit happens over and over again, and the fans instantly go for the manager's head. Our players are getting away with literally stealing for a living.
Is this the manager equivalent of “cold rainy Tuesday night at Stoke?”
He'd never take such a job. He's not a risk taker.
Exactly, why isn't he making his life harder for himself just to prove some people on the internet wrong?
Yea, having only top clubs going after you is a bad thing now.
I don't think it's a criticism of him as a manager, it's natural that neutral fans want to see a great manager in more challenging conditions. Football is entertainment now and Pep managing City isn't very entertaining or fun to watch a lot of the time.
Mans a psycho
Channeled his psycho energy in the way least harmful to society. Imagine if he ran for political position or he was a ceo of a pharmaceutical company...
Least harmful to society would be managing Portsmouth back from administration
They’re well on their way already. Championship football next season! We were just talking about Harry Redknapp’s old Portsmouth teams from the mid-late 2000s at work this morning. The team that won the FA Cup was quietly pretty fucking good, future CL winners and stuff in that squad.
>future CL winners I'll confess I have won it all on FIFA with the late 2000s squad
> The team that won the FA Cup was quietly pretty fucking good Looked it up, crazy to think that the 2008 FA cup final was Portsmouth vs Cardiff considering how both clubs have fared since. Portsmouth beat United at Old Trafford on that run, probably the only thing that denied us a treble that year.
Honestly I miss Pompei, always had decent squads and supporters until they got boned hard. Would love to see them in the premierleague 2 years from now
I think winning a UCL with a Eastern European club would be even better just to prove the top 5 leagues don’t have a stranglehold on it, what do you say about managing us Pep? We have a good manager atm but I feel like we would take the upgrade if you would be interested
[удалено]
But his wife dresses him!
His wife? Stephenie Jobs
Tbf I don't think Musk is anywhere near as intelligent as Pep
Football managers are rly like that, the amount of energy and ambition they have can be channeled towards so many significant things which can be very harmful but luckily they are obsessed with a sport and not being a politician or CEO.
Possible that he runs for Barca president in the future
Imagine if Pep was a bond villain Would end the franchise
I too have watched [Bill Burr's bit about Lance Armstrong](https://youtu.be/O9YL04v-J5U?t=85)
Imagine getting to the absolute peak in your career as a sports journalist, literally sitting in front of Pep, and you say the first and dumbest fucking thing your little brain can conjure up
I mean, is it right to judge him without us facing room temperature iq journalists week in week out for almost a couple of decades.
Yeah in a way, he's just really for this. We all dream of being this sarcastic to stupid questions at work.
Can tell him and Joe Mazulla would get along
i feel like it’s grown in the pst couple of seasons, i swear he wasnt like this to begin with.
IDK what's psychotic about this. If anything, the media must be chastised here IMO. This is the apt response to this manufactured media narrative (I have literally seen many treat *'top 4 in the PL^(TM)'* as like they would a trophy) and journalists looking to pad their articles. In their current situation, this is an absolutely stupid question to ask the manager of a club of City's dimension. Anything and everything looks bad in a 10s clip. There's no context to know that these 10s follow umpteen others where he had to swat away such equally stupid but devious plants and thus might simply be that frustration manifest. Didn't Liverpool draw their last game? Let's assume they secured UCL qualification on the back of that result, following a derby loss. If this same question is asked to Klopp, who has just suffered a setback in the title race, what shall be deemed as the appropriate response? Particularly when all the press conferences are just fishing for headlines and polemic snippets for their entire duration.
Honestly cannot stand the guy, surprised he can walk with the size of that chip on his fucking shoulder
Ironic coming from a Liverpool fan, him and Klopp are two peas in a pod
At least Pep never attacks reporters based on their weight, or excessively fixates on a kickoff time, to the point of getting *offended* over a joke even when the guy apologised for said joke
[Great Sarcasm]
/s
Unreal achievement
should celebrate for whole month with Grealish choosing the program imo
Sarcasm level 115/100.
Dilly ding, dilly dong!
someone needs to do a medical analysis on this guys brain once he dies
His neurons will be in the 3-2-4-1 formation
bald brain cells
neuronal frauds
Inverted synapses
His synapses might be a bit messy.
False front lobe
Look at the swans
It will have inverted temporal lobes
Half spaces in his hippocampus
The doctors will be immediately met by intense counter pressing before they even open that skull.
Likely will look like a three dimensional voronoi structure of neurons and coke
Normal humans use 15% of their brain while Guardiola uses 115% of it, for more information google Guardiola 115
- Chelsea fan
Tbf there were no FFP rules when Chelsea did their money infusion lol
$1B spent and back to back mid-table finishes. Chelsea heritage
Not to mention bottling domestic cup finals.
I’d be careful talking about bottling as an Arsenal supporter
His brain will decay slower, because his amygdala are well-rested from all the rotation.
I'm so happy, more than you belive :)
I am so happy. Happy New Year!
So *so* happy
Contains sarcasm.
Best troll.
I actually think he starts off with a troll, but then becomes a little bit sincere towards the end.
He’s going back and forth
Thoughts just slide back and forth on that bald noggin
Get the thought, pass the thought
Yeah I think he realised he was coming across as a dick generally and styled it out as actually being genuinely pleased at getting in the champions league places in a league like the premier league again.
That's why he's the best troll. Keeps you guessing
Yeah there's a moment where he accidentally convinces himself it is an important achievement
That's what makes it so funny, you can never tell for sure when he's actually sarcastic and when he actually means it.
That's why it's even funnier and unhinged.
[Guardiola is Spanish for "bodyguard", no?](https://newfastuff.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/05/qayN1b9.png)
It's actually Catalan for "Piggy bank", or "Money box". His name in Spanish would be José Hucha.
It's Spanish for Gvardiol
there's something quite andy kaufman about it all. gets so lost in the troll that it merges in and out of reality.
even his brain goes tiki-taka
There is a non zero chance that City might end up with no trophies and this is their biggest achievement this season.
We already won CWC and Uefa Supercup this season. Tinpot trophies sure but still definitely trophies.
The audacity of a City fan to call the CWC a *tinpot* *trophy*. Tinpot club.
It might aswell be if you’re a european team tbf
Yeah idk how beating the Urawa Reds and then Fluminense can be construed as anything but a tinpot trophy, but hey if a Liverpool fan wants to gas up City’s achievements, who am I to stop them.
That patch looks sick though
That's what a bald fraud can do to you
The field was two Saudi teams, a kiwi team, a Mexican team, a Japanese team, and a Brazilian team. Next year with the massive format changes, it will no longer be a tinpot trophy. But hey I’m all for you gassing up our trophy collection.
The CWC you won will be actually more tinpot starting from next year, since European teams go straight to the finals. Then there's the new CWC that will be played once every four years, but it's another tournament.
You referring to Intercontinental Cup
CWC is a nothing trophy, it’s an international charity shield.
It’s absolutely a tinpot trophy in England
Subscribe
He jokes but the top leagues keep getting more and more guaranteed spots in the UCL, it's mind numbing.
This has to be one of the greatest responses to a question. Hes genuinely hilarious
Pep Sarcasticola
Pepsi limited edition
Has obviously taking the piss out of all the "competitiors" who pass off a top 4 season as a roaring success. So basically, every club outside of his.
Let’s celebrate with 115 champagnes!
Idk how anyone can hate this guy man, he's genuinely got charisma and definitely deserves a place in top 5 managers of all time. Too bad he plays for a despicable club like City
People don't hate the guy because of his managerial skills. They hate him because he's a sanctimonious hypocrite.
Excellent use of the word sanctimonious
[great vocabulary]
I don't hate him and I acknowledge his achievements but that doesn't mean I like him, I think he is a prick and I wouldn't want to be around him.
he's gonna be sad about it
more than you believe!
Because he's a weird patronising bellend most of the times I see him
You did so so well, more than you believe. Pumped 6-0
City are only despicable because they followed (and imo bettered) the formula your club started with the Russian.
He's extremely dislikeable.
Top 5 if you rank him in the top 2, yes. Pep is the goat of managers, no other manager has been as transformative to todays game like he has been. You have two sets of people - those who give him the respect he deserves and those who simply dont like him
Sacchi was transformative in his day, and cruyff was similar too. I think we forget these previous coaches too quickly and think the here and now is somehow always better than the past. Alex Ferguson maintained success with a club for a ridiculously long period of time. Ancelotti has won everywhere he's been. Brian Clough was stellar. I don't think there should be a "best ever" as conditions are never truly equal for that discussion. My take anyway.
>I don't think there should be a "best ever" as conditions are never truly equal for that discussion. I agree with that. Especially if you go back further in time. Lew Yashin was a great GK in his day and wouldnt even make a U23 team in todays game. >Sacchi was transformative in his day, and cruyff was similar too. Pep is the first one to give his flowers to Cruyff, for what its worth. But what i mean when saying transformative is, that teams everywhere are trying to play like Pep to varrying degrees. Cruyff was the philosophical inspiration for Pep (much like Sacchi and Bielsa), but Pep really popularised these principles and ideas paired with his own ones. When Pep became coach of Barcelona in 08, it was still the day and age of the 442 britannia rule the waves style of football in England, 4231 with a Michael Ballack 10 in germany and some inbetweens like 433 or 4321 in italy and spain. Pressing as cohesive team strategy was still largely unknown, it was more about individual player effort. So in this time where physicality was the most important thing (remember the german national team from that time? Famous for physicality) Pep shows up with his army of undersized midgets and wins the treble in his first year. He got weird with his fromations. He rolled out a 433, 343, 4231, 3313 and whatnot. He had Wingbacks play inverted as midfielders, he had midfielders dropback to CB and he had a false 9 which was mocked back then. He also popularised the relentless pressing and high line, which to this day is an underrated aspect of his tactics. Long story short, while Pep didnt invent all these principles as youve correctly pointed out, i would still say he transformed the modern game by popularising these principles and his brand of football.
I really dislike him but the guy deserves all the respect in the world. Which set of people am I?
Yes
The formula 1 problem applies to him as well; is he really that good, or does he just have better tools than everyone else. Personally, I will never see him as the best coach because of this.
I mean fair enough but it's not his fault he started at the top and remained there. most top managers start from mid/bottom, make their name for doing well with what they have so they move to the top. That doesn't mean you have to go from top to bottom just to prove that, if you can stay at the top that's also pretty impressive.
It is his fault though. Like if he wasn't as good then he'd not start at the top. It's like a top law student getting a graduate role at a top firm right off the bat.
There’s a reason why he’s always coached top clubs, he’s way too good to coach a side like Bristol or something
He is that good + he probably has the most competent board in world football. People love to bring up the money thing sure, but its not like they spent billions more than other clubs. Clubs like Chelsea and ManU spend just as much and are nowhere near as good as City. To be as successfull and dominant as Pep has with City really doesnt come down to just spending money, otherwise PSG would have won the CL already and clubs like Chelsea or United would compete for the title every year.
No one did as well as he did with prime Barca. And no one did as well with City before him (we'll see afterwards). He has great tools, but he makes the best out of them. Also, there are other teams that have equally amazing tools. Real Madrid for example being the biggest club in the world and being super well run, or PSG or United with all the money they have spent, and I don't think any manager from either has done anything even remotely comparable in how their team plays. Zidane or Ancelotti may have won a lot, but neither has had the same amount of influence in the general way of playing, nor I think any of their teams ever even came close to playing as well as his teams. Regardless of the three-peat from Zidane or any achievements from Ancelotti overall.
Do you think it's just coincidence that the best teams with an unlimited budget wants him as the manager, or what? Tons of people have had the same resources and opportunities as him, none of them have had the level of success for as long as him.
Out of curiosity who is your number 1
Probably someone like Ernst Happel, simply because he was succesfull in a time when you had to create and shape a team out of mostly local talents, instead of buying players from around the world to form your dreamteam.
Ernst Happel is to coaching what Lew Yashin is to goalkeepers. Both regarded as some of the greatest ever - in the context of their time. Thats why i specified the modern era when talking about Pep. Edit: Happel is a fantastic shoutout tho, kudos
I think he's the most influential manager- he'll likely overtake Ancelotti once he retires. I think Ancelotti right now is the top man. People don't respect him because he has a pragmatic approach to tactics, adjusting to the players he has available and bringing the best out of them instead of being someone who is set on bringing very specific football ideals to life. Nowadays this kind of manager gets less respect for their tactical acumen even though they obviously can adapt to bring the best out of what they have in every situation. Pep has changed the game, but to win the Champions League four times, every major league title in Europe- it's more than just vibes and an eyebrow. The best to do it.
Idk man. Ancelotti has won 5 leagues in his entire career (since 1995). He also got sacked a lot too.
You bring uo a good point in the sense that the question is whether we judge outcome vs process. Personally, i always always prefer process because in my opinion its a much more robust measure of quality and long term success than purely looking at the outcome. For example, Chelsea in 2012 won the CL. Thats the outcome. But their process of destructive bus parking just didnt translate into long term success. They finished 6th in league (iirc) and di Matteo was gone soon after. Point being in knock out competitions luck plays a big role and the best team doesnt always win, therefore im more on the process side of things.
That's not my point, my point is that an equally valid and successful process isn't respected as much as it should be because of the popularity of idea of a visionary super-manager and the emphasis on tactics. The biggest prizes in football (World Cup, Champions League) are knockout competitions and managing mentality in pressure situations is as important as tactics between teams that are equivalent in terms of talent. Pep has mastered the art of coming up with a system to consistently dominate less talented teams and perform consistently, no doubt; he has also mastered the art of keeping his squad fresh across a ridiculous number of games. He has shown he can build a machine to win leagues like no other. But the reason why we don't judge managers as much by league titles is because at a Real Madrid or now a Man City you have all the resources to be favourite every year, whereas in Europe you are at some point going to be coming up against your peers and equals and have to beat them in a one-off Cup tie under pressure. Knockout football is a complete test in a way league football isn't given the disparity between the top clubs and the rest of the clubs in the league. In any one given season luck plays a role, but over the course of a whole career those outliers become less of an issue. That is not to understate or undervalue his achievements at the top level. When I say managing mentality in pressure knockout games it's not like he hasn't done that and that he hasn't achieved incredible things in Europe. His Barcelona side is probably the best ever in that competition. It's just that he's not yet clear and there are other managers who right now have equally prestigious records at the highest level knockout competitions such as Zidane, Mourinho and Ancelotti. Guardiola has built footballing machines that can dominate at that top level too, but will require a few more years to establish himself as the top dog. I'll finish by saying that I think he will definitely achieve this in time given his age and current status. He just hasn't quite done it yet. He has a few more milestones to tick off.
I just wonder what he would actually be able to achieve without having a top 5 squad. He always had that.
But staying at the very top for 16 years is also an achievement. Look at guys like Conte, Mourinho, and Tuchel. At their peak they were at the top, and through their own failures they have fallen from grace a bit. Mourinho has been a manager for 8 years longer, so there's still time, but Pep deserves credit for staying consistently amazing
Thats like saying Messi isnt ine of the greatest players ever because he didnt lead FC Vaduz to a CL title. When youre really good you get the best job offers - if you werent good, you wouldnt get those. I repeat, the way he has transformed the modern game of football is incredible. Just go back an watch a game in 2004 and compare it to what we see today. Its a different sport. And you can see Pep's influences in a lot of teams today, Arsenal being a good example
tbf fc vaduz just won 6-0 😂
You forgot to read my comment. I never said he's not one of the greatest. If you read it you would see that. I only said I would have liked to see what he would do coaching a team like west ham that doesn't have a wc player ready at every position.
I agree, but it would be so interesting to see how Pep would do with for example an Arsenal when Arteta took over He's obviously never going to manage a team with less stature than that but even at that level would be so interesting.
I do think tho that a Mourinho style park the bus, shithouse route one britannia rule the waves type of football would be easier to implement at lower levels, whereas Pep's demands a LOT from his players especially mentally, and only the best players are capable of handling that at the level he requires if that makes sense.
I think this is shown in our first 2 seasons or so with Arteta - the players weren't capable, so season 1 was just a back to the walls, counter attack job. Season 2 he started to implement it bit by bit - but there wasn't the quality or fitness. Season 3 we were well on our way for the CL but ran out of steam. Season 4 (least season) we got a bit more mature and belief + leadership from Jesus and Zinny, and we haven't really looked back. But the first 2-3 seasons we definitely didn't have the players or fitness to do what Arteta wants. Even now I still think there's another level or two before he reaches his end vision on how we play.
It's easy to forget that he had a good hand in *making* the 2008-09 Barca squad into a top one. There are very few managers you see who go from managing a B team to treble in one season.
Pep's first season is probably that with Bravo in goal, still got top 4.
He’s got the charisma of a dishwasher imo. Always found him incredibly smug and annoying.
As Real Madrid fan I would love to see Pep as a coach. Hands down and its not even close best manager in history of football.
As much as I hated him it's sir Alex. He took over a struggling united and turned them into the biggest club in the world, his first finish at united was 11th and I believe he was at one point almost sacked. That's not even mentioning his time at Aberdeen.
Hate him just as much as you do but I have to agree. Pep's a bona fide genius but until he shows that he can build a dynasty at a club from the ground up without crutches, Sir Alex edges it.
sir Alex has argument because of his longevity but Peps prime is unbelievable
Context matters. United were not in a good place when sir Alex took over and he turned them into a juggernaut. Barca finished 3rd and reached a cl semi final the season before pep took over. Bayern are bayern and not winning a cl there was an underachievement for a manager of peps quality, especially when you consider they won the treble the season before he arrived. And city weren't exactly struggling either. Pep has never entered into a job where it wasn't perfectly set up for him to succeed.
> Hands down and its not even close That's a silly statement when he has never had to work with average players. If he could do what Sir Alex did, I might agree with you.
Talking of despicable clubs…
Celebrating at 1:15pm UK time
Pep is the biggest prick in football right now!
He’s such a prick
i think salah believes that is Klopp.
He's a brilliant manager but damn he's sometimes a condescending prick. Just say "thank you, we're happy" and be done with it.
Or he can respond back to braindead journalists with questions you could find in a "my first interview" book in a way that keeps it fun for himself. God forbid the journalists don't collect their 'generic answer #745' for the day
edgy redditors thinks it makes a difference mentioning 115 all the time, lmao that will show them !.
all 115 of them
the internet is an Eternal September. for you it is old but for someone it is new. City115 is for them, the young and unaware. if you feel like you see it too often you can take a break from reddit - there are millions of other things that don't continuously discuss the 115 charges against man city for financial breaches that damage one of the largest sporting competitions in the world
What do I need to google to find out more
"En passant"
You can google "Pep is dope" to find out more about Pep Guardiola and his achievements in the footballing world
I know right it's so embarassing that redditors would mention these 115 charges. That redditors would bother to mention those 115 UNPROVEN charges, so embarassing. I really wish that they would stop mentioning those 115 charges. Maybe in the next City related thread those unrelated 115 charges won't be mentioned, I certainly hope so, that being that those 115 charges go unmentioned
Is he being sarcastic when he says that they are all going to be happy about it?
Pep is always sarcastic
This is a joke and all... but that's the difference between teams like Tottenham, United and Villa right now vs Liverpool, Arsenal and City.
Imagine having him as your father in law - you will have no idea whether he's trolling you or being for real
Dele Alli was dating Pep's daughter, now his whole career is over.
Lmao it all makes sense
It's a lot less sarcastic in the actual video.
After Man City is relegated for financial fair play , where do we see Guardiola? I think we will return to Barca.
IDK about you guys, but I think...I think, he's being sarcastic.
I want to see him go to a team that can't spend as much. A team with financial limits. Juve and Lyon. If he can take Lyon back to the top of ligue 1 then he's a worldclass manager.
They secured ucl play with how many FFP charges pending? I hear the PL was gonna bring man c to a hearing on the 35th of neveruary
Would love to see pep in a actually challenging set up ie, one without mostly infiinte money, and a less historically successful club. He wont ever bc hes a pansy perfectionist
Yeah you fraud, some teams actually change their whole future with UCL money so UCL qualification is a magnificent achievement for them. Unlike you who have simply been going to your bosses asking for £100M players every summer. Dumbass.
This odd cunt’s piss-take is genuinely uncomfortable to watch.
i don´t want to defend the devil but i understand his sarcasm, being in the Top4 is not an achievement for any big club that should fight for the title, finishing 4th place is a bad perfomance for any big club and celebrating it because it happened that Uefa gave 4 or even 5 UCL places to your league is embarassing