Didn’t he teach your man Arteta everything he knows?
Definitely, there's absolutely no middle ground between managing that Barca side, a treble winning bayern and Man city with unlimited resources, and operating om a shoestring budget.
He won’t. He has no ability to work with what he has.
There's no way I can see him at an international side, can you imagine pep's fury if his star player is injured at club level, only getting to work with the players a few times a year, not being able to buy players to fit his system, being judged basically entirely on his record in a knockout competition. I don't think there's any manager in the world who'd hate international management like pep would
I'd love to see guardiola's mental gymnastics on this "look I know I said I trusted Abu Dhabi to tell the truth, and they lied to me, but I have good feeling about these Saudi Arabian lads"
He's said a few times that he plans to manage a national side one day.
Saying it and doing it are two different things, I mean when was the last time a top level club manager actually went to an international side? Would Southgate get a job at any top 6 side? Yet he's manager of one job the best international sides at the moment, would deschamps. Even after winning a WC then reaching the next final? Pep is definitely a control freak and the reality of managing an international side and how little he'd get to control would quickly clash with any ambitions he might have of one day managing one
Cracking idea
Wasn't it confirmed that Newcastle had quite a bit of leeway because Ashley had been so stingy in the years before the takeover? I don't think it'll be enough leeway to convince him to go there, he'd want to replace pretty much the entire first xi and bench at Newcastle
When you create the best club side of all time in your first ever job that does tend to get you the pick of clubs.
Create? Do you mean inherit?
If you can find me just one post on any platform from summer 2008 or slightly before where that team that finished behind Villarreal were declared potentially or otherwise the greatest club side ever then I'll concede the point.
I've pledged $100 in the past to anyone who could pull such a post. feck it, I'll make it $200.
I don't know I wasn't on here, I do know that the team dominated us, the best side in Europe, over two legs in the semi finals, also Messi was constantly injured during 07-08. Yes Pep did very well with them, but that teams dominance had more to do with Messi moving into his prime and maintaining fitness. Not to mention you had puyol, iniesta and xavi as the spine of the team, which had just won the Euros. He got very lucky getting one of the best midfielders ever in busquets come through as well, yes he took a chance on him and that was brave but he was obviously going to be a world class player regardless
You could just say that you dont know a thing about Barcelona's situation in 2008, it would have avoided you the embarrassment. That team finished with 67 points in Laliga.
Yeah if pep hadn't come, Messi would have probably been a nobody in football. People who didn't anticipate barcelona becoming one of the best sides of all time, probably didn't anticipate the guy who spent more time in the physio room than on the pitch becoming one of the best players of all time
And they also dominated us over 180 minutes. That home game at old Trafford after Scholes scored was one of the tensed experiences I ever had as a United fan, just constantly under pressure. The next season had more to do with the fact that Messi xavi and iniesta were 3 of the greatest players of all time.
Messi won one Champions league with Barça in 9 years post pep. To dominate football like the Pep team did you need a lot more than just Messi.
