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Josep Guardiola has extended his contract with Manchester City until the summer of 2023. Honestly, unexpected. Because at the end of last season it seemed that Pep and ManCity were very tired of each other. Tired mainly psychologically. The Catalan tactical genius, called to Etihad primarily to win the Champions Cup, has not come one step closer to this trophy. Also, it sometimes seems that Guardiola only walks away from winning the Champions League with each new season at City. He remembers the failure in all respects, first of all Pep personally, in the last quarterfinals of the Lyon Champions League: the coach of the MC wanted to confuse the opponent so much that he got confused, and as a result he flew the Cup again Eared.
Depressiac of that fiasco clearly affected the game of the “citizens” and in the new season – failed the start in the Premier League for the first time since Guardiola’s arrival in the team. And it’s not just about the total loss at home to Leicester (2: 5), it’s about the lack of motivation among the players, the absence of burning eyes from the coach.
It seemed that the romance between the once best coach in the world and the team with the most players on the continent had come to an end. In favor of such a scenario, not only the above facts and observations “spoke”, but also numerous signs. For example, so far, Josep has not stayed in one position for more than four seasons (at Barça – four, at Bayern – three). I constantly needed a new push, a new motivation, a new environment. And then the opportunity dawned on the horizon to return to his native Barcelona, because very soon there will be presidential elections and, surely, a change of course and scenery.
It was Pep’s “letter” that several applicants to the first-person position of the “blaugrana” tried to play at the same time. But all these incredible and probable stories fell apart like a house of cards. Josep Guardiola decided to stay. The Catalan has officially renewed his contract with the club for another two and a half years. If Guardiola happens to fulfill his contract with the Sheikhs to the end, he will spend seven seasons in a place never seen before.
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Following the renewal of the agreement with the club, Pep distributed generous verbal advances to the club, team and city. Like, “I feel like a welcome guest here.” The 49-year-old mentor is right: “This kind of support is the best a coach can have.”
STAYS! 🙌
🔷 #City man | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/psyncZkw07
– Manchester City (@ManCity) November 19, 2020
Probably, in this he is truly sincere, because even in his native Camp Nou, where Guardiola served as a coach and as a genius, he felt like he was in a frying pan. Not to mention the feelings at Bayern: there he was, although proud, but alone. In Manchester, (in the part of the city that is not “red”), Guardiola is really not only respected, but considered almost the Messiah. This is the difference between City and Bayern: the ambitions of both clubs are almost the same, high, but if in Munich you can be belittled, if only because of the presence of the greatest history and many titles and trophies in the museum of the club, then At Guardiola City, which is not kindly about really big victories, the ‘locals’ look at each other for whatever reason.
Let’s give him his due: Pep is not only capable of organizing the game, but also of influencing opinion. From the first appearance in the club, she enchanted Sheikh Mansur. As charismatic as Mancini was and Pellegrini’s most qualified “human soul engineer” (Pep’s predecessors), they nonetheless did not come out as a figure in comparison to him. The creator of the “tiki-taki” has always been a giant to any Manchester club official, even the highest flight. And Chiki Begiristain, former Barça technical secretary, and a City athlete since 2012, greatly influenced not only Pep’s arrival at the club from Manchester, but also the perception of the Catalan at City. In general, in the new workplace, Guardiola, having received complete carte blanche and even more complete trust credit, began to build a new Barcelona.
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Unfortunately for fans of Catalan and apologists for the City, the royal lily did not take root in the less fertile soil of Manchester. Yes, under the leadership of Pep, the “City” became champion, and twice in a row, and with a record of points scored in a season. But now you can’t surprise anyone with this at Etihad – both Mancini and Pellegrini became ManCity champions. They expected something completely different from Josep. We were waiting for the victory in the Champions League. But she eluded him without even giving him hope.
Why? In this regard, it is hardly necessary to speak for a long time, because, in my opinion, the reasons for failure are on the surface. Guardiola is a “marathon coach”, that is, a person who is capable of delivering results mainly over long distances. During all the time he worked as head coach, Pep only lost the national championship three times (!). In other cases, he invariably became a champion. In Spain, Germany and England. But for short distance coaches like Simeone, Mourinho and especially Zidane they are more suitable.
Why did you triumph at Barcelona? Yes, because he still had a perfect Messi, and alongside him Xavi and Iniesta. This trio was able to make even a mediocre team great. And a mediocre coach. But that Barça and that Guardiola also knew how to embrace the immensity. Xavi and Iniesta have left, and where is that Barça now?
Another problem for Guardiola’s City was the glass defense. The attack is clearly “doing” the defense in terms of surname, level and importance. And as soon as ManCity is the first to miss the Champions League playoffs, the team begins to “fall apart.” At the same time, Guardiola spent, for a second, 480 (!) Million euros on the defensive line. On average, Guardiola has conceded almost two and a half goals per game in the Champions League playoffs. That’s a lot to qualify for the title. The inability to get punched, to play against the “buses” is another Achilles heel for this coach. Under Josep’s leadership, his teams lost eight times in the first round of knockout matches, and only managed to advance twice. This “glass jaw” remains with the Manchester team, especially in their defense.
We also need to talk about your assistants. A dozen attendees have a dime, but real attendees, those called “right hand” … With the departure of Arteta and Guardiola, and the “City” became a bit “not equal.” Well, to top off the “oil painting”: its relation to the charges. Even at Barça, Pep was neither a friend nor an older brother, much less a father or teacher of his players. But the same were Simeone, Di Matteo, Mourinho, Zidane and even more Klopp.
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In short, there are too many reasons why Guardiola in charge of ManCity does not win the Champions League (and it is unlikely that he will win, my personal opinion). However, the club has expanded its collaboration with this coach. Why? Perhaps we should talk again and again about the magic of the name, about the two Champions Cups won once with Barça, about the open support of the club in difficult moments, when many turned their backs on it (we are talking about the “prohibition” of UEFA and exclusion from the Champions League). However, in my opinion, the main thing is not the above.
Perhaps the extension of the contract means that the City has reached an agreement with Messi. And maybe even with Ramos. If these two (or at least one Argentine) end up at Etihad, they will need a coach who can speak on equal terms. Guardiola is capable.
Perhaps with Messi showing up at Manchester City, Guardiola will finally build a new Barcelona there …
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