Josep Guardiola: is he actually a good manager?

Robbo

Robbo

Robbo

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Do you think that Guardiola is a brilliant manager, or is he lucky to have arguably the best club squad playing for him in the history of the game? Or both?

I know there is always talk of him leaving Barcelona, but would he be able to transform a Premier League team for instance?
 
I think it's impossible to say because of the team he has at his disposal tbh.

edit: as for adapting to the premier league, it would require him adapting the way his team plays because no one else can play the way Barca do as they simply don't have the players. In the past he has not changed tactics at Barca, even when up against it, there is no 'plan B', so I don't know, maybe not.
 
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I'd say he was a great.

I think as others have said true proof would be proving it elsewhere but Fergie's has been pretty much 1 club and is recognised as a great.

Ultimately he has brought the players through and makes them play the way they do, he was the one who put Messi up top for the better of the team. You could say he doesn't have a plan B but who needs one when A works so well? He is lucky to have the players he has but he has gelled them and organises a system which works fantastically for the team.
 
Fergie has built a team across multiple generations with continued success though. If Guardiola can do it when the likes of Xavi/Iniesta/Puyol/Abidal have retired then he'll be a great imo.
 
Yes he is a great manager. Anybody who says otherwise doesn't follow barca. How many managers would tell ronaldhino to leave the club? And he wasn't excactly past it when he arrived. To keep a team playing at this high level does require a special manager.
 
I don't see how he can be described as a great manager. He didn't create the majority of the team, if anything, that was Rijkaard... These players are of the ability that I believe they could win with or without Guardiola. Not that I think he isn't a good manager, just that he is probably in the easiest job in football at the moment. :p
 
Robbo said:
Do you think that Guardiola is a brilliant manager, or is he lucky to have arguably the best club squad playing for him in the history of the game? Or both?

I know there is always talk of him leaving Barcelona, but would he be able to transform a Premier League team for instance?
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interesting thread because fergie got lucky with his squad yet people see that as brilliance. but brilliance really shines through in adversity. having won 2 cl he has already achieved as much as fergie in the European cup but it only took him what 4-5 years not 25...

having the best player in the world helps but then we had the best / second best ourselves we won one and lost one so you can hardly discredit barca achievements for this.

The way they dominated utd twice tells me that they are that good.

That fergie is happy to play players like oshea or Evans or welbeck regularly though shows the difference in ambition between the two.
 
CasKirensys said:
I don't see how he can be described as a great manager. He didn't create the majority of the team, if anything, that was Rijkaard... These players are of the ability that I believe they could win with or without Guardiola. Not that I think he isn't a good manager, just that he is probably in the easiest job in football at the moment. :p
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Wrong if its the same 'team' as the one Rijkaard had then how come they haven't thrown a league or two away like they did with the dutchman? The calls his made at barca since he arrived have been calls of a great manager. The only thing pep has done wrong was the ibra switch with eto but only on the cost of the deal. Eto had too go, just like deco and ronnie.
 
Tbh Guardiola has inherited a superb team with the likes of Messi, Xavi and Iniesta, the heart and soul of Barca and has obviously added Fabregas to the mix as well.

I wouldnt call him a great manager yet...if he could win the La Liga, Copa del ray and CL without those 3 then definitely would call him a great manager...at the moment id call him a good manager whos just been very lucky to have some truly superb players at his disposal.

But thats not taking anything away from him, hes had Barca playing some high quality football since he took over. He got rid of some great players ie Ronaldinho, Eto and Ibramovich without batting an eyelid and still has Barca very much in the La Liga hunt.
 
i'd say he was a good manager, sure he has messi/xavi etc, but all teams have there main players who they'd struggle without, man utd without rooney, arsenal without rvp, madrid without ronaldo....

he's had a bit of an edge whereby he's worked with the B team so helped develop the players hes looking to bring in as well.

even this season, although there not top, thats in large part due to madrid having a brilliant run, and lets face it after winning everything there is to win in 1 season, its inevitable you can "struggle" to be that good again.

although as mentioned he hasn't had the same battle as sir alex, whereby teams have appeared with the sort of money available (chelsea, now man city) to put a serious challenge together.

though with the likes of malaga getting foreign ownership the next few seasons might show how good a coach he can be.
 
No, he is however the perfect manager for Barcelona. Brought up through the ranks, and has made sure they play the tika taka style which all Barca players are brought up on.

If he moves on to anywhere other than the Spanish national job I think he will find it extremely hard.
 
No1newts said:
I'd say he was a great.

I think as others have said true proof would be proving it elsewhere but Fergie's has been pretty much 1 club and is recognised as a great.

Ultimately he has brought the players through and makes them play the way they do, he was the one who put Messi up top for the better of the team. You could say he doesn't have a plan B but who needs one when A works so well? He is lucky to have the players he has but he has gelled them and organises a system which works fantastically for the team.
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CasKirensys said:
I don't see how he can be described as a great manager. He didn't create the majority of the team, if anything, that was Rijkaard... These players are of the ability that I believe they could win with or without Guardiola. Not that I think he isn't a good manager, just that he is probably in the easiest job in football at the moment. :p
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Absoloutly agree with the latter here. It was Rijkaard's side that was the one that broke Real's dominance in La Liga and it was his side that laid the foundations for what Guardiola walked into. Rijkaard may have gone a little stale when he left but then I'd argue Guardiola has had the benefit of Messi in his prime whereas when Rijkaard was in charge Messi was still finding his feet for example IIRC the year they won the UCL v Arsenal Messi hardly figured in the 'business end' of that season.

Of course the thing with Rijkaard is he's done sod all since so who's to say the same won't be the case with Guardiola once he leaves?

To be considered a great manager you need to do it with either more than one club like Mourinho or create and re-create new sides while keeping a level of success. So far Guardiola has proved nothing other than he can get the best out of the best club side in the world and let me point out that the best players in that best club side Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets & Messi all home grown players who were already there, Guardiola's big money purchases to supplement them though BIG question marks.......
 
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The Running Man said:
interesting thread because fergie got lucky with his squad yet people see that as brilliance. but brilliance really shines through in adversity. having won 2 cl he has already achieved as much as fergie in the European cup but it only took him what 4-5 years not 25...

having the best player in the world helps but then we had the best / second best ourselves we won one and lost one so you can hardly discredit barca achievements for this.

The way they dominated utd twice tells me that they are that good.

That fergie is happy to play players like oshea or Evans or welbeck regularly though shows the difference in ambition between the two.
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Fergie got lucky buying VDS, Ferdinand, Vidic, Evra, Ronaldo, Carrick, Rooney etc etc? :o

Oh and on the last point the fact that we play Evans and Welbeck has nothing to do with levels of ambition it simply shows that Enlgish clubs can't attract the same level of players that the Spanish sides can nor do we produce the same level of home grown players, don't like that? Go follow one of those Spanish sides instead, you'll be doing us all a massive favour
 
Rijkaard's side were hardly recognisable to this Barca side outside of the names on the shirts. Guardiola created a new way of playing and has kept the consistency up for years which is unheard of at the very top.

Messi was injured that season where they got to the CL final, it's not that he wasn't very good :D

To be honest, I'm finding all these United fans denigrating Barca and Guardiola just .. very funny, though not a surprise.

Rooney > Guardiola
 
jakeke said:
Rijkaard's side were hardly recognisable to this Barca side outside of the names on the shirts. Guardiola created a new way of playing and has kept the consistency up for years which is unheard of at the very top.

Messi was injured that season where they got to the CL final, it's not that he wasn't very good :D

To be honest, I'm finding all these United fans denigrating Barca and Guardiola just .. very funny, though not a surprise.

Rooney > Guardiola
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I think its a case of the butthurt. But then again i would too after wembly.
 
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