He invited journalists to “kill” him if Bayern were tossed out of the Champions League. Whether someone will actually call his bluff is besides the point. But if you are Pep Guardiola and managing one of the biggest franchises in football currently , then you are forgiven the raves and rants....upto a certain point.
Having had a decent enough career at Barcelona as a player, and then tasted phenomenal success as manager of the same team, you have had greatness thrust upon you. A lot is expected of you, and you have just got to deliver. There is no satisfying your fans, your supporters with mediocre performances. After all you did win the coveted treble with Barca, didn’t you? How difficult would it be to replicate this success at Bayern with players like Müller, Schweinsteiger, Lahm, Robben, Ribery? Child’s play, more like it.
Except it hasn’t come up roses for the youngest manager in football to win the Champions League.
He was brought up at the famed La Masia, under the direct tutelage of the late legendary Johan Cruyff. He imbibed the concept of ‘Total Football’ at the feet of the master, winning the European Championship in 1992, consecutive La Liga titles from 1991 to 1994, and was team captain from 1997 to 2001. In 2008 he returned to Barca as manager and won the treble. In 2009, he became the first manager to win 6 trophies in a calendar year. Two more La Liga titles were added to the kitty in the following seasons (2009-10, 2010-11). In the 2011-12 season although Barca started strongly, they ran out momentum mid-way. The Catalan fans screamed for someone's head to roll, and in 2012 Guardiola announced that he was stepping down, citing tiredness and extreme stress.
After a sabbatical of a year, he took over as manager of Bayern Munich in 2013. The team was a star-studded one, and with the signing of Mario Gõtze in the same year, and Robert Lewandowski in 2014 it seemed that they were invincible, and only a matter of time before silverware was accumulated.
This is where the tapestry starts to unravel. Bayern have surely been Bundesliga champions 25 times, and twice since Guardiola took over. But other honours especially the Champions League (they managed to reach only the semi finals in 2013-14 and 2014-15) have remained out of reach.
It is indeed a mystery to all those who consider Guardiola the best manager ever why this has happened. The philosophy and the work ethic remain the same. And as he now prepares for his new role in a more competitive, more volatile league the clouds of doing have surely set in. Is he setting himself up for a greater fall? It would be a terrible state of affairs if he were to “fail” at Manchester City, a team that has not looked like the EPL champions they were in 2012 and 2014. With the cool unflappable Pellegrini at the helm, they are currently at the number 4 spot with 64 points, with 2 more matches left in the current season.
It is obvious that the powers that be at Manchester City have high hopes of their new man. Guardiola does have the stuff in him to take them to great heights. It now remains to be seen how the new season will be played out. Leicester, Tottenham, West Ham and Liverpool are all enjoying a new lease of life. Derby rivals Manchester United have a plethora of fresh legs on their roster.
Can Pep Guardiola re-invent himself and the team? His fans, both past and prospective, certainly hope so. He will definitely add to the excitement that has shaken the EPL out of its stupor.
An interesting sub-plot is that all the top contenders are being managed by non-English managers, and all eyes are now on the new entrant.
He once famously said, “That’s the beauty of sport. Sometimes you laugh, sometimes you cry.”
We all hope, Señor Pep, that it is the former and not the latter scenario come the new season.
