Is Pep Guardiola the right choice for Manchester City?
Since Pep Guardiola was picked to replace Pellegrini as the new Manager of Manchester City Football Club, there has been speculation regarding whether he is the right choice for the club.
Manchester City are arguably one of the best football teams in the country, and with state of the art facilities and a ready-made squad, some see the move for Pep as an easy one. Despite the squad needing a revamp, they are in much better shape than Manchester United, so possibly the safer option?
Newitts takes a look below at the reasons why Pep Guardiola may or may not be the right choice for the club.
FOR......
He's a short term coach
Pep has always been very open with his plans and stipulated he is a short team coach. He has his eyes set on coaching the Brazilian national team in 3 years time, which means that he will not manage MCFC for long. This could prove to be an advantage for the club as Pep is a manager who likes to challenge himself and will therefore be keen for MCFC to win the Champions League whilst he still remains in charge.
He's focussed
Pep has proved that he fully focuses on a job. He left behind a top Barcelona FC side with Messi in it to take over Bayern Munich, wanting to replicate his success in one of the hardest and most lucrative soccer leagues in the world. Similarly, this is why he has set his sights on Manchester City - it is assumed he will reshuffle the squad completely and will impose a system that could make City one of the top three teams in Europe.
"Pep's tactics are always planned; he won't change the plan unless it's the last minute of the match"
He'll make the best squad
Pep's focus will initially be on the squad. It is thought that he will filter through the players and sell some of them off immediately, to make way for new players and promote a lot of young players from the talented youth team. Despite being a short team coach, he has long term goals and his aim is to create a squad that can perform for the next five years ahead.
He can win trophies
Pep went to Barcelona in 2008 with a challenge on his hands, to win trophies for the club. At that point in time, Barcelona were definitely a good team but they were not winning trophies. Within a couple of years, the team were winning trebles. He then went on to do the same with Bayern Munich. Okay, they didn't win the Champions League, but they did manage the Bundesliga. To make a team strong, the manager needs to put a great deal of effort and hard work into the club, something Pep has demonstrated he can do well.
He can fulfil aspirations
Previous managers, Mancini and Pellegrini have done well with the club but have so far lacked the ability to spur dominance in the UK and Europe, and fulfil Manchester City's current aspirations. Manchester City have a dream to become a major force in the UEFA Champions League, and Pep Guardiola has demonstrated he has the potential to make this happen.
AGAINST.....
The Tiki Taka system is outdated
Pep Guardiola introduced the Tiki Taka system to football, revolutionising the game and introducing a new system to lower level teams and management, but has it become outdated in recent years? Jose Mourinho decoded the system with Real Madrid, and slowly more and more teams are taking clue from Mourinho's tactics. The performance of Spain in FIFA 2014 World Cup and 2013 Confederation Cup is a prime example.
Pep lacks flexibility
Pep's tactics are always planned; he won't change the plan unless it's the last minute of the match. Before the big matches, he has even been known to organise a rehearsal whereby the players, play in the way they have planned to in the actual match. Some fans believe that if Pep does not adapt his tactics to tackle the more defensive teams, his players could become predictable, something that should be avoided at all costs on the football field.
There is no guarantee Pep will triumph
There is no guarantee that Pep's move to Manchester City will work as a culture fit and we don't yet know what the rival football teams will do in response. Having benefited from inheriting the best player in the world in Messi, along with the sublime Barcelona team, it is within a different context to Manchester City and papers over a multitude of potential sins and cracks.
Could the culture shock defeat him
Pep is great, but he is unproven as a manager in the transfer market and will have to work hard once at Manchester City. The nature of the Premiership makes it very difficult for English teams in the Champions League and this will have a knock-on effect to Manchester City's momentum both at home and in Europe. Bayern and Barcelona play in a more forgiving context better suited to European competition.
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