Pep Guardiola Would Be a Perfect Match for Manchester United

Pep Guardiola has a history of taking over clubs which have been recently managed by Louis van Gaal, and it looks as if Manchester United are in with a chance of being added to that list.

At least, that is the leap of inference that can be made from a quote in a new book, Pep Confidential: Inside Guardiola's first season at Bayern Munich by Marti Perarnau.

According to the book, Guardiola said in 2011, when scouting ahead of the Champions League final: "I like this atmosphere. I could see myself coaching here one day." (h/t the Guardian)

Given Louis van Gaal's three-year contract at United, it would be wise for the club to consider succession planning sooner rather than later—after all, three years passes quickly. Sir Alex Ferguson's replacement David Moyes and United's subsequent collapse shows what can happen if succession planning is not handled well.

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There may exist a received wisdom that Ryan Giggs is being groomed to replace Van Gaal, following his stint as caretaker manager at the end of last season. However, while the idea of promoting from within has tremendous sentimental appeal, United would have to consider the benefits of having a spell with the Catalan in charge.

Guardiola was in charge of the best team I have ever seen play against United. The Champions League final in 2011 was a demolition of a very good United side. Barcelona were a class apart.

In truth, though, his teams are not to everyone's tastes. It is not uncommon to hear people opine that tiki-taka may be effective, but ultimately it can make for some drab games. This was a view espoused frequently when discussing Spain in the 2012 European Championships.

Nothing could have been further from the truth in that 2011 game. Barcelona kept the ball with ruthless precision, but they also struck with devastating purpose.

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Guardiola himself claims not to enjoy tiki-taka, a term whose original intention was derogatory. In a further quote from the above book (h/t the Telegraph) he says:

"

I hate tiki-taka. Tiki-taka means passing the ball for the sake of it, with no clear intention. And it's pointless.

Don't believe what people say. Barca didn't do tiki-taka! It's completely made up! Don't believe a word of it! In all team sports, the secret is to overload one side of the pitch so that the opponent must tilt its own defence to cope. You overload on one side and draw them in so that they leave the other side weak.

And when we've done all that, we attack and score from the other side.

"

Louis van Gaal has begun a revolution in terms of United's identity on the pitch. This might seem a dramatic term to use, but with six new arrivals and a slew of departures, the side playing at Old Trafford at the moment are worlds apart from David Moyes' United of last season.

It is not just a revolution of personnel but also of style. Gone is the over-reliance on wing play, and in its stead is a team built to be able to hold on to the ball. It has not yet come to full fruition (except against an abysmal Queens Park Rangers), but the shoots are definitely showing.

Guardiola has proved he can build on groundwork laid by Van Gaal. He did so at Barcelona, where it was Van Gaal who introduced Xavi and Andres Iniesta to the first team. He is doing so again at Bayern Munich.

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Van Gaal brought Thomas Muller into the first team, signed Arjen Robben and converted Bastian Schweinsteiger into a midfielder, all decisions which Guardiola is benefiting from with his current side.

If United are looking to recreate the Sir Alex era and build a new generation-spanning management dynasty, then developing Giggs may well offer the best chance of doing so.

However, if they have moved into an era where, like almost every other elite club, their manager stays for a few years before moving on, then Guardiola would be an ideal choice next time around.

He has, so far, offered a guarantee of success wherever he has been. It is a small sample size, and he has had spectacular raw materials to work with, but, nonetheless, he has won everything there is to win in his young management career.

Given that, and given the link with Van Gaal, it would seem that Guardiola at United would indeed represent a perfect match. At least for a little while.