PEP: THE PRINCIPAL GAME CHANGER OR THE CASHBOOK GENIUS
Source: Rufus46
With an impressive 31 trophies to his name as Manchester City won their seventh EFL title and Second time on the bounce in the club’s history, Pep Guardiola is one of the most successful football managers of all time, who when usings winnings from real money pokies, can make you a lot of money back his teams with online bets.
Just a year after announcing his retirement from football following a short-lived spell in Mexican football with Dorados, Guardiola was appointed as the manager of a demoralized Barcelona’s second-side and tasked with leading the team to promotion. Pep took over Barcelona’s B team that had just been relegated to its lowest tier in over 30 years. Pep successfully took a squad of players who had been underperforming and returned them to their proper level, winning the third-tier league with the formerly underperforming team.
Yes, he’d had a decent stint with the club’s B team, but that is hardly the sort of experience that you’d expect to ready a man for a spell at the helm of one of the world’s greatest sporting institutions. Yet that gamble paid off spectacularly despite the +250 odds for Barcelona to win the UCL after the quarterfinal draw was somewhat underwhelming according to the sportsbooks, high roller online casinos giving the odds with the best return at +275 odd for Barcelona UCL victory in 2008/2009 under Pep; since then, as the club have never looked back, while Guardiola himself has gone on to prove an equally stunning success at Bayern Munich and Manchester city in Germany and England respectively.
Barcelona under Rijkaard had been a huge success in his early years at the Camp Nou, leading the side to two league titles and a Champions League. But the team seemed on the decline in the summer of 2008: after two successive trophies-less seasons, Rijkaard was let go and Barca chiefs took a gamble on Johan Cruff’s request on Guardiola.
Moreover, Guardiola’s team played a brand of football that took European football by storm. Barca won the league by nine points, claimed the Copa-del-Rey, and wrapped it up with a victory in the Champions League final, securing the first-ever treble in Barcelona’s rich history with the acquisition of players that suits his philosophy. Guardiola’sBarca ended up claiming three successive league titles, two Copa del Rey trophies, and two Champions League victories, as well as the other assorted cups available to European champions, such as a couple of European Super Cups, Spanish Supercopa, and two Club World Cups, as dominant Barcelona won 14 trophies in just four seasons.
Taking over the team that won the treble can be a daunting task to procure. But Pep willfully took the charge of the club which put a lot of criticism after the loss of the first competitive match against Borussia Dortmund; it was however lessened as Pep defeated his old adversary in the UEFA Super cup. Guardiola despite spending than usual could not have delivered another UEFA Champions League to the Bavarian under his leadership at the club for three years. He was bested by the Spanish teams of Madrid, Barcelona, and Athletico in 2014, 2015, and 2016 respectively.
Pep might not have won the most prestigious club gong for the Allianz Arena team, but his domestic domination was seconded to none: winning the league as early as possible with seven matches to spare in his first season, finishing with the most win and highest point attain in his second and highest number of winning streak. Despite Guardiola been termed unsuccessful at Bayern Munich, he won the league thrice, DFB Pokal twice, Uefa Super Cup, and FIFA club world cup
The Spanish tactician has further engulfed enough domestic success at the Etihad with an outright dominance in 2018/2019 as the Citizens won the entire domestic cup in England. However, despite Man City’s stunning season so far under Pep, many fans and pundits alike believe Guardiola has bought success and not earned it. Signing 33 players in four seasons at the Etihad stadium’s reigns, the club has spent a sensational 925 million euros. The city spent a total of £272 million in the two seasons before Guardiola becoming a manager. That’s 653 million euro less than the total since Pep’s arrival, highlighting the extravagant amount of money spent by the club since he took charge.
Manchester City under Pep is no doubt the most expensive squad in England and their inability to advance past the quarter-final is UCL worrisome for the team that has the brightest talent and experience in all positions despite facing a much lesser opposition except Liverpool in the continental competition quarter-finals. Before the Spanish coach’s reign at the Etihad Stadium, the Cityzens was able to reach the semifinal despite their narrow win to the worthy winner, Real Madrid in 2016 as with the City boss no doubt getting all the praise. But has Guardiola really made the Blues the all-conquering side they supposedly are, or has he just done what any other manager could have done with the same financial backing? However, the Citizens are 9/2 (5.50) according to www.casinojoka.net/fr and break their duck and win the Champions League for the first time in 2020/2021.
Many Guardiola fans will be quick to point out his constant success at every club he’s been at, however, many will fail to mention the size of Cheque the club will hand him, or the legacy of the teams he’s managed. The evidence of Pep turning teams into winners is underwhelming and minimal.
Before appointing Guardiola as manager of Barcelona in 2008, Barca had already won both the league and Champions League two out of the three seasons before he joined, meaning he had taken charge of an already winning side. Barcelona went on to dominate the league for the next three years, as well as winning the UCL a further two times.
Even, since Guardiola’s departure from Barcelona in 2012, the Spanish giants have successfully won the Spanish top flight five times as well as winning Europe’s elite competition once, proving their success wasn’t just because of Guardiola.
Over the four years he spent at Barcelona, Guardiola spent a total of £307 million on players, continuing Barcelona’s track record of outspending their rivals. Now, despite not spending more than Barca’s average seasonal expenditure, he still broke the bank every season on big-name targets, outbidding rival teams to world-class players. Guardiola’s obsession of spending big may well have started at Barcelona, setting a trend for him to only go to Europe’s wealthiest teams, and therefore always having the money to outspend the other teams in the league.
Joining Bayern Munich in 2013 on the back of a title-winning season for the club, Guardiola won the German league every year during his three-year stay. However, this time, although Bayern won the UCL the season before Guardiola, they failed to get past the semi-final stage of the competition every year with Pep in charge, despite investing £183 million on new players.
Guardiola left Bayern in 2016, before joining the Blue half of Manchester a day later, only to finish third in the league in the first season in charge, but had a trophy laden season in his second attempt after spending £473 million on a new team.
However, despite all of the evidence proving Pep Guardiola has only ever won by spending big and joining winning teams, many people will say that these facts are a one-sided view and don’t give him enough credit for his talent in spotting talented youth and perfecting tactics. The high tempo speed and deadly attacking play in every team he’s managed. The ability to create world-class talent from players other managers would overlook and the confidence and creativity his teams play with are mesmerizing.
On the other hand, the red side of Manchester have even spent over 600 million euro during the four years spell of Guardiola reign at the Etihad and the Manchester United teams look average and the amount invested in the current Barcelona squad is more than 500 million euro and still looks average. Also, the just confirmed champion of the most-watched league in British had spent nearly 600 million Euros with the time span of Pep’s reign and they had just won their first-ever English Premier League despite the investment. Furthermore, Mauricio Pochetinno was relieved of his role going to the middle of the season despite reaching the UCL final with a very lower budget.
But how can a manager of world-class be a judge when he is surrounded by world-class players and a bank that never runs out. True great managers are those that prove their worth at small teams consistently, making a once average team into title winners. A world-class manager doesn’t need a stack of money to hide behind or use in order to buy their way out of problems. Guardiola’s tactical prowess cannot be overemphasized as the manager employed around the world are measured based on the standard of Pep achievement and philosophy. Learning from the best and revitalizing the passing intensity and attacking play of Tiki-Taka had been the bedrock of modern football.
To many of his critics across the globe, Pep might have bought his success! But, his footballing ingenuity is a fact on the way many players have improved under him and how well he had shaded his player to the limelight. His success is visible and the once he achieved without the financial backing are not mention. However, every criticism is always a narrow factor and could not have seen how beautifully the Catalunyanative has changed modern football. But, his financial astute cannot be overlooked either.