Pep Guardiola's Reputation Is Only Thing Keeping Manchester City out of Crisis
Pep Guardiola sees things a little differently. While Saturday’s 3-1 home defeat to Chelsea was widely viewed as emblematic of how Manchester City are struggling to adapt to the methods and manner of their new manager, the Catalan himself assessed the performance in a way only he could.
City, he asserted, remain on track this season. Slumped in fourth place with just four wins from their last 13 games in all competitions, the Etihad Stadium side would appear to be falling well short of expectations, but not through Guardiola’s eyes.
“We play good, faster than in Munich and even in Barcelona, when we had one player [Lionel Messi] who was amazing and helped us to create those steps,” the Catalan explained ahead of Tuesday night’s Champions League clash against Celtic, per Jamie Jackson of the Guardian.
“In general, I am so satisfied in the short time we have been together. Of course, we need time in a whole we don’t have. But in general I’m satisfied. When we are talking about the last game, I’m so satisfied. I saw again the game and what we have to improve and how many things we did well.”
It was a peculiar claim to make just two days after Man City’s Premier League title hopes had been dealt an almighty blow by the team increasingly looking like front-runners. Guardiola might have been right to a certain extent, in that his side’s performance was better than the result perhaps illustrated, but nonetheless he did little to acknowledge how damaging Saturday’s loss could prove.
But after such a dismal run of form it’s somewhat remarkable that Guardiola isn’t presently under more scrutiny. Of course, the Man City boss is facing questions over what has been a stuttering start to the season. His famed philosophy has come under fire, but where are the back-page headlines decrying City as being in crisis? Where is the hysteria that usually comes with such a slide?
That’s not to say there should be any. For once it’s refreshing that such a reaction hasn’t been prompted by the floundering of a high-profile manager. But why is Guardiola proving to be the exception? After all, this is the guy who was billed as a footballing revolutionary—a figure to change the English game forever.
Guardiola is getting by on the basis of his past achievements. Were it not for his reputation at the managerial vanguard of his generation he would surely find himself under more pressure than he does. In another world, where he hadn’t won the Champions League twice at Barcelona and three successive Bundesliga titles at Bayern Munich, calls for his head might have already started.
Manuel Pellegrini, for instance, was never afforded such tolerance. He won three trophies in three years in charge of Man City, yet he was unceremoniously shunted out the Etihad Stadium back door without so much as a wave goodbye at the end of last season. Roberto Mancini was edged closer to the guillotine much quicker as well.
Maybe Guardiola would be at the centre of a media storm were he the manager of United rather than City.
Jose Mourinho must view the lenience his great adversary has received this season with a certain envy. Sure, Manchester United are enduring an even worse start to the campaign, winning just three of their last eight matches in all competitions, occupying a lowly sixth place in the Premier League table. But the scrutiny the Portuguese has been placed under of late reflects United’s struggles. Can the same really be said of Guardiola?
It could be that Mourinho simply needs to get better at downplaying setbacks. Guardiola has become the master of this at Man City, with his response to Saturday’s harmful defeat to Chelsea his finest piece of work as a Premier League manager yet.
“Now I’m happy,” he insisted, per Richard Jolly of the National, fooling nobody. “One hour when I am home after the Chelsea game I think to myself: 'This season is going to be good.'”
What was it about Saturday’s performance that gave him such encouragement? Was it the way his team allowed themselves to be picked off so easily at the back on the counter-attack? Or the way they missed their chances when on top only to be made to pay for them? Or maybe the manner in which his players lost their cool, sparking a touchline brawl that saw two Man City players sent off?
The touchline behaviour of Guardiola during the defeat to Chelsea hinted not at a man who is satisfied with the way things are going this season, but as a man extremely frustrated at recent performances and results.
It was suggested that Guardiola might find the Premier League a more challenging arena than he had experienced in either Spain or Germany, but sarcastic claps and manic gesturing illustrate that maybe the man himself is surprised by how true that prediction has proved.
While there is a growing realisation that Man City failed to sign the players Guardiola truly needed to implement his ideology, the Catalan himself must shoulder blame for his side’s recent failings.
He has yet to field the same back line in successive Premier League fixtures this season, making no fewer than 24 changes in personnel over the course of the campaign. He has shifted between a back three and a back four frequently, only aggravating the sense of defensive instability and fragility City have suffered from all season. Guardiola’s decisions aren’t reflective of a man certain in his own plan.
There’s a common assumption that Guardiola sees things others don’t; that he possesses a greater, deeper, insight to the game. But what if he sees what the rest of us see and is trying to portray it as something different for his own good?
If someone says something enough does it become true? In Guardiola’s case, he’s counting on it. It’s keeping Man City out of crisis.
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