A look at Pep Guardiola's first season in charge in Manchester
Pep Guardiola, Manchester City’s current manager, has a reputation that precedes him. He came to England decorated with trophies from Bayern Munich and Barcelona, and it seemed that the spell of trophies would continue in Manchester. But this has not been the case so far, even though City recently faced Middlesbrough in the quarter-finals of the FA Cup, with a 2-0 win courtesy of goals scored by Sergio Aguero and David Silva. Whilst the team played well and Guardiola was delighted with the result, he said afterwards that the team could have scored more goals.
The Blues crashed out of the Champions League to AS Monaco on away goals, after drawing 6-6 on aggregate, whilst they trail league leaders Chelsea by twelve points in the Premier League. Guardiola's side travel to Stamford Bridge on Wednesday evening, but the gap is surely insurmountable at this stage of the season.
Guardiola is known for his tough stance, and as a man who listens to what his instincts are telling him. He does, however, have the capability to be flexible with his ideas and welcomes new and diverse challenges.
Having spent his first season evaluating the squad, Guardiola will know already what is needed in the summer. With seven senior players out of contract, including the likes of Yaya Toure, Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta, City are expected to be highly active in the transfer market at the end of the season.
The fans also play a role when it comes to victory for Man City. And Guardiola is the perfect person to encourage more enthusiasm from the fans, especially in light of some negative incidents. It seems that with Guardiola at the helm, fans can become more open and enthusiastic about the Champions League.
But at the end of the day, Guardiola’s reputation for being tough and flexible will be seriously tested – he believes that the team’s success rests on simply being ‘better players’. As Guardiola himself said, “I feel we are better but we must improve. When you defend better you attack better, when you attack better you defend better.”
For Guardiola, it’s simple: the team just needs to improve. And this passion for playing better may just be what Manchester City need to be successful next year. If you enjoy catching up on the latest football news and events and would like to place some bets, you need to have a good bookmaker. Take advantage of the Bwin bookmaker review so you have a better chance of winning as well.