Is Pep Guardiola a top manager? In my opinion he isn’t , because every team he has been to have been top quality worlds best.. with millions to spend. Barcelona, Bayern , Man City. They would all win the title with Hecky in charge!
I’ll admit he’s had it a little easier with some of the teams he’s managed but with how good City are this season, I think you can’t argue he’s a top manager.
Having just heard Thierry Henry speaking about him on Soccer AM, I am in no doubt whatsoever. He’s spent little or no more than Mourinho has at United. They are streets ahead in all ways.
Aguero - Top class striker. Would probably still score if you put him at centre back. Kevin De Bruyne - Amazing. One of the worlds best. David Silva - He is a magician. Leroy Sane - He’s better than Mo Salah! He should go to Arsenal and see if I can win them a title lol
He’s a top manager when he wins someone like Southampton the title. Claudio Ranieri won Leicester the title - hardly no money. Now he’s a top manager
Yeah that is true but all these players have been at city before and they’ve never looked this good/dominating (still looked good obviously haha). He would truly be a magician to make Arsenal even title contenders at the minute! I still think they should’ve gone for him when he was available but still stuck with Wenger, out of some loyalty I guess.
Barca were a shambles before he took over. Finished 3rd 10 points behind Villarreal and were outclassed by Madrid in the Clasico 4-1. He shipped the biggest star in world football Ronaldinho out made Messi the focal point, promoted Busquets from the B team and played him in front of Yaya Toure. They won the treble and battered Madrid 6-2 at the Bernabeu. Then made them the best club side I’ve ever seen. Would he do as good a job at Burnley as Sean Dyche? Maybe not. Would anyone else have City 16 points clear and playing the football that they are? No chance.
Money’s irrelevant when debating how good a manager is, it’s all about what he does with players. De Bruyne went to City for big money, they were been mocked for signing him by many pundits as he was a ‘Chelsea flop’. Guardiola’s developed him from promising youngster to one of the worlds best. How many of the big clubs would’ve wanted Stones & Otamendi in the summer? Along with the Spurs centre backs they’ve been the best in the country this season. Look at the job he’s done on Delph, seemed like he was off to a Stoke or that kind of a club & instead he’s turned him into a quality left back getting in the England squad. Turned Zinchenko from a promising attacking midfielder to a capable left back. Sane improving all the time, Sterling gaining the composure in the final third he didn’t use to have. Improved Aguero & Silva when most would’ve said they’d peaked or gone past their peaks. Bit of a myth that the City job was easy, goalie wasn’t up to it, captain & main centre back can’t stay fit & needed replacing, all 4 full backs were in their 30’s & past it, Yaya was over the hill as was Nasri, Bony etc. Needed almost a complete rebuild, whoever would’ve took over would’ve had a huge budget to do it with & to take them from been the 3rd best team in the league with an ageing to squad to gelling a nearly new side within 12 months, winning the league by a mile & been champions league favourites is some achievement. The only club he’s had it ‘easy’ at was Bayern. If people do their research he brought through most of that Barcelona team. He replaced Deco, Ronaldinho, Giuly, Eto’o, Puyol etc. Pique was 5th choice centre back at Man Utd, behind Evans & O’Shea, seems baffling now looking back but Iniesta, Busquets, Pedro etc weren’t young prodigies in the team at 17, they were late developers who Guardiola improved. No doubt he got lucky with Messi who was world class from been a 17 year old first breaking into the team but the rest of that side needed a lot of work.
The other reason he spends a fortune is because owners trust him to spend it. Many get a lot of money in their first window don’t spend it wisely & end up sacked or with an owner who doesn’t trust the manager as much so doesn’t keep backing him. Guardiola rarely wastes money, Bravo’s probably the only one at City. Ederson, Walker, Stones, Sane, Jesus, B. Silva all cost a lot but all look good value for money. And it’s all relative, Walker for £50m seems a huge fee & is but in relative terms with how much transfer fees have increased over the years is it anymore than Shaw for £30m a few years back, Glen Johnson for £20m about 8 or 9 years back or Ferreira for £15m 13 or 14 years back?
I reckon most managers would do well in the premiership if they had close to half a billion to spend in space of a few years...... https://talksport.com/football/cara...-more-manchester-city-21-months-wenger-his-21