Ranking the 5 best goalkeepers to play under Pep Guardiola
Pep Guardiola is a tactical genius and one of the finest managers in the Premier League right now. The Spaniard may have spent big on transfers but success is almost guaranteed with him at the helm.
The former Barcelona manager has achieved a lot in his managerial career and is currently going strong at Manchester City. His strategic approach to the game has done wonders for the clubs he has managed.
Pep Guardiola likes his goalkeepers to be quality passers
Guardiola is often considered one of the greatest managers of all time. He has won the most consecutive league games in the Premier League (18), the Bundesliga (19) and La Liga (16).
One of the key elements of his game style is playing from the back. This is why he prefers his goalkeepers to be good at passing the ball. In his successful career, the Spanish manager has had some fine goalkeepers play for him. Here, we take a look at the best of them.
#5 Jose Manuel Pinto (Barcelona)
Jose Manuel Pinto makes it onto this list as funnily as he made it to Barcelona in a similar fashion. The Spaniard was signed by the Catalan club in 2008 from Celta Vigo when he was 33-year-old, to be the backup to Victor Valdes.
In Guardiola's four seasons with Barcelona, Pinto was not that frequently used unless and until Valdes was unavailable. Luckily for the Spaniard, he won a good amount of trophies sitting on the bench.
From the Barcelona website: "Jose Manuel Pinto played a total of 73 games and won 16 titles". Good ratio
He won the La Liga thrice, Copa del Rey twice, UEFA Champions League twice, UEFA Super Cup twice and the FIFA Club World Cup once. Pinto made 44 appearances during Guardiola's time as Barcelona manager.
#4 Claudio Bravo (Manchester City)
Claudio Bravo was doing decently well at Barcelona before he decided to join Manchester City in 2016. Guardiola had a lot of faith in the Chilean goalkeeper to make the difference between the sticks.
Unfortunately, Bravo did not take up his chances well and was guilty of making silly mistakes more often than not. Although Guardiola religiously supported him, the Chilean just couldn't regain his form with the Citizens. He played 61 matches under the Spanish manager.
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🗣| Pep Guardiola on Claudio Bravo:
“Why shouldn’t I be confident in my players? I would not like to be a player if my manager doubts me.
I see him every day in training and how good a goalkeeper he is,we’re not going to lose because of Claudio."
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He won the Premier League once and the FA Community Shield twice with Manchester City before leaving for Real Betis in 2020. Despite his poor form in England under Guardiola, Bravo makes it to the list for his talent and abilities overall as a player.