The best managers of all time: #09 Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola ushered in a new era of football

While the metronomes of Barcelona’s midfield Xavi Hernandez and Andres Iniesta sat in the front row of the packed conference room, the world’s best player was notably absent. This was the press conference in which Pep Guardiola would announce his departure as the manager of his boyhood club after an unprecedented era of success, and Lionel Messi wasn’t there.

The Argentine legend would later explain his absence with a poignant post on Facebook that said all that needed to be said of his relationship with the maverick manager.

"I want to thank Pep with all my heart for everything he has given me in my professional career and personally, because of the emotions I feel I preferred not to be present at Pep's press conference and to stay away from the press because I know they will look for the pain on the players' faces. It is something I have decided not to show."

Taking charge of Barcelona

Pep admires his Champions League trophy

As was the case with the enigmatic and brilliant Arrigo Sacchi when he took charge at Milan, Guardiola would lose his first two games at the beginning of his reign at Barcelona. The critics were sharpening their knives and the fans were bemused. Guardiola was a beloved player but he had no ‘real’ management experience. How was he supposed to resurrect an underachieving team?

The odds were stacked against him, but that didn’t mean the Catalan was daunted. He didn’t meekly walk into the Camp Nou dressing room and plan to slowly win over the trust of the international stars he had at his disposal. Instead, he showed some of the biggest names the door.

Ronaldinho, Gianluca Zambrotta and Deco were immediately ushered out, and Pep had been ready to part with their ace striker Samuel Eto’o as well until he showed his dedication to the new project and ended up staying.  

Here was a man who was not afraid to walk into a dressing room with players who had won a plethora of international trophies and stamp his authority as a novice manager. And he turned out to be a resounding success, leading a Barcelona team to not only amass all the trophies they possibly could but do it with a style and swagger that captivated global audiences and redefined the way we perceived and played the beautiful game.

Barcelona dazzled their way to 13 trophies in his 4-year stint, including two of the coveted trophy with the big ears – The UEFA Champions League in the 2008-09 and 2010-11 seasons. Pep’s legacy with the Catalan club is unforgettable and if his playing career hadn’t already cemented his influence at the historic club, his managerial tenure certainly has.

Success with Bayern and taking the reins at Manchester City

The Spaniard was immensely successful at Bayern as well

There was a lot of talk about whether Guardiola would be able to replicate his magnificent success with Barcelona at German powerhouse Bayern Munich when he joined the Bavarians. In truth, he’d taken an impossible job despite his credentials because Bayern had just ended their most perfect season when he joined.

And when Bayern couldn’t ‘perform’ in the Champions League again there was the notion that he’d failed but the reality was anything but. The Spaniard reached the semi-finals in each of his 3 seasons at Bayern, and though they were thoroughly outclassed in some critical ties, they had only been second best against the eventual champions. And in his final year, Bayern had matched Atletico Madrid beat for beat but succumbed in the end.

The genesis of the team though had been clear to see. The way they moved across the pitch, the plethora of tactical systems the players could seamlessly switch to and the growth each individual spoke of were all qualities Guardiola excels at. He had stamped his style on the club, brought through players integral to his football and left a legacy with the 7 trophies he won in Germany.

In an incident that reflects the passion the former midfielder radiates, Guardiola rushed to the pitch to lecture a young Joshua Kimmich after a pulsating draw with Bayern Munich to point inaccuracies of his positioning in the match. There was an emotional intensity and raw passion in the way Guardiola almost manhandled his own player and delivered his sermon. It was pure Guardiola.

The 45-year-old has now taken charge of Manchester City this year, and has already had his ups and downs. They’ve had a spell in which they looked like they would walk to the Premier league title and had stages of late in which they’ve looked like a defensive mess.

Josep Guardiola has his own style. He doesn’t radiate calm like Carlo Ancelotti or the scheming arrogance of Jose Mourinho. He doesn’t have the charisma and affability of a Jurgen Klopp, or the larger than life image of a Sir Alex Fergusson.  

Can Guardiola repeat his feats at Manchester City?

But he has passion and desire in truckloads to go with his pure footballing genius, and he will keep on racking his brains for ways to innovate the game, find formations that haven’t yet been discovered. While his tinkering and experimenting will occasionally frustrate die-hard fans, we are darn blessed to have him in the game.

Ultimately, Pep still has a few chapters to write in his glorious career.