Pep Guardiola is an overrated manager and Barcelona not Manchester City is the proof why.

Sample A: 3 La Liga titles, 2 Champions Leagues, 2 Copa Del Rey’s, 3 Spanish Super Cups, 2 UEFA Super Cups, 2 Club World Cups, 1 treble, 1 double.

Sample B: 3 La Liga titles (one with a record points haul), 2 Copa Del Reys, 1 Champions League, 2 Spanish Super Cups, 1 UEFA Super Cup, 1 Club World Cup, 1 treble, 1 double, won 5 trophies in a calendar year, longest unbeaten streak in team’s history.

Both of these samples are 4 year periods in Barca’s history, one belongs to Pep Guardiola, the other belongs to Tito Villanova, Jordi Roura (Caretaker when Tito fell ill), Tata Martino, amd Luis Enrique. Sample A is Pep Guardiola. Sample B are the Barca managers who followed him. Despite the managers and instability at Barca since Pep left these records are remarkably similar. Same number of league and cup wins, 1 less Champions League win, 1 less Super Cup win each, 1 less Club World Cup. Barca in total have won 10 trophies since Pep left. Pep in the golden era of Barca’s football won 14.

So looking at the stats Pep’s accomplishments while impressive, the club hardly dropped off since he left. That is despite the fact that Real and Atletico Madrid have been better teams since Pep’s departure. Atletico Madrid won the league in 2013-14, the Copa in 2013, the Spanish Super Cup in 2014, the UEFA Super Cup in 2012, and reached 2 Champions League finals in 3 years (2014, 2016). Real Madrid also improved winning a Spanish Super Cup in 2012, a Copa Del Rey in 2014, 2 Champions Leagues in 2014 and 2016, 2 UEFA Super Cuos, 2 Club World Cups, and set record winning streak and unbeaten streaks by a Spanish club. In total Real won 8 trophies since Pep left, Atletico 4. When Pep was in charge from 2008-2012, Real and Atletico COMBINED won 6 trophies. (Real won a 2008 Spanish Super Cup, 2011 Copa Del Rey, 2011-2012 La Liga title. Atletico won 2 Europa Leagues and 1 UEFA Super Cup.) So the competition wasn’t as strong when Pep was at Barcelona compared to the situation after he left. Diego Simeone only managed Atletico after the middle of Pep’s last season, and Carlo Ancelotti and Zidane only came after Pep had left. The truly amazing part of Pep Guardiola’s reign that goes off without a question is just how fortunate they were to win 2 Champions Leagues.

In 2009 Barcelona visited Chelsea in one of the most infamous matches in Champions League history. Tom Henning Ovrebo the Norwegian referee may have had the worst performance of a ref in a big game in recent memory. He denied Chelsea 3-4 clear penalties, and although Chelsea had a 1-0 lead for the majority of the game, a wonder strike by Iniesta in the 93rd minute propelled Barcelona into the final on away goals. It was a game that lives in infamy and despite Pep’s  Barca winning the Champions League final with ease against Manchester United this game is held against them.

In 2011 Barca won the Champions League again but not without controversy. Robin Van Persie was sent off at the Camp Nou when the aggregate score was tied, Barca went on o score the winner and knock out Arsenal. The ref sent him off because Van Persie kicked the ball 1 second after he blew the whistle, truly a very harsh decision.) Then the semi-final against Real Madrid, where Pepe was controversially sent off for a “foul” on Dani Alves. (Even though replays showed he didn’t touch Alves.) Barca went on to defeat Real 2-0 at the Bernabeu. In the second leg, Higuain’s goal was controversially disallowed, and a foul was given to Barca even though Ronaldo was fouled in the build-up and Higuain was onside. That game finished 1-1 and Barca were through to another final and beat Man United 3-1 to win another CL. However this feeling of Barcelona getting calls was seen as the norm and Pep’s accomplishments were seen by some as “lucky”.

I don’t think Barca were as “lucky” for me they were the best team in the world both years they won the Champions League. However the success attributed to Pep’s tiki-taka began to fade as this was apparent in his last season. Although Barca won the Copa Del Rey and beat Real Madrid 3 out of 6 times that season, they finished 9 points behind Mourinhi’s Real Madrid. They were also eliminated by Chelsea in the semi-finals of the Champions League, Chelsea avenged their heartbreaking defeat 3 years ago with help from the posts, crossbars. Pep’s tactics failed him that year his experiment with a back 3 cost valuable points in the league, and his strange formation against Real Madrid in the 2nd league clasico allowed Real to win 2-1 at the Camp Nou and seal the leaguie title. The year after Pep left, Barca won the league by 15 points, earning 100 points tying Real’s record. That is despite having Tito Villanova their manager suffering health problems, and interim Jordi Roura taking over as interim coach. In 2013-2014 Tata Martino replaced Villanova and finished the season trophyless. He was then replaced by Luis Enrique who in his first season won the treble like Pep. His second year he won the League and Cup double and had a 39 game unbeaten run in the season. In 2 years Luis Enrique won 7 trophies which is the SAME number as Pep did in his first 2 seasons!!!! By the way he had to deal with Zidane’s Real which won 12 straight games to close out the La Liga season in 2015-2016 and became European champions in the same season, Atletico Madrid which eliminated Barca in the Champions League in 2015-2016 and finished only 3 points behind Barca. The success Barca have had since Pep left shows that while he was important, Barca moved on from him and his style. Barca won under Luis Enrique using a more counter-attack based 4-3-3 where Messi, Suarez, Neymar wreak havoc on the break. The front 3 create danger instead of a pass-based system of witholding the ball. At the end of Pep’s tenure, Barca’s passing was slower and more predictable, which in the end cost them in Pep’s final year and to some extent the first 2 years without him. However Luis Enrique still wants the team to keep possession but just wants Barca to attack more and not build the ball out of the back as often. This minor change in philosophy allowed Barca to keep winning trophies even without Pep’s influence.

Is Pep overrated as a manager then? Yes he is. Pep Guardiola is the Arrigo Sacchi of his generation. Sacchi with his great AC Milan teams won 2 European Cups and 1 Serie A’s, and played some of the best football in the planet. Like Barca, Milan’s finest night came when they hammered Real Madrid 5-0 at home. They were the team of the era just like Pep’s Barca. However like Barca, when Sacchi left to take over Italy in 1991, Milan thrived. They won 3 straight Serie A titles under Fabio Capello, reached 3 straight European Cup finals in 1993, 1994, and 1995. In the 1994 final AC Milan destroyed Barcelona 4-0 to win their 5th Champions League. Just like Barca won their 5th Champions League in 2015 beating Juventus 3-1. (Coincdentally both teams won the CL 3 years after both men departed the club.) AC Milan under Capello had an unbeaten Serie A season in that span. Barca set the points record under Tito Villanova not Pep. While Sacchi was successful for the Azzuri taking Italy to the World Cup final in 1994, he slowly lost his touch. In Euro 1996, Italy crashed out in the group stage of the tournament. He then went on to have failed stints at AC Milan and Atletico Madrid and could never recapture his initial success at Milan. In part due to his stubborness, and in part due to the lack of talent. Pep like Sacchi had a great start at his next job, winning 3 league titles at Bayern and 2 German Cups, however unlike his predecessor Jupp Heynckes he never won the Champions League.with the German club. Now at City it seems likely that Pep may be a failure, there will not be a title win this year. A Champions League run seems doubtful with the shape of the team, and the best he could do would be finish in the top 4 and win the FA cup. But that would be a failure for a man that 12 months ago was regarded as the best manager in the world. Pellegrini his predecessor did finish 4th, won a trophy, and got to a Champions League semi-final and was replaced. Roberto Mancini finished 2nd and got to an FA cup final and was fired after the season. Pep has no excuse for his City failure, but to be fair he might be a victim of overhype. Like Sacchi, Pep needed the perfect blend of players at the right time to get his style to work. It was never going to be replicated, though he did come close at Bayern. The players made the system not Pep, and now that Pep hasn’t got world-class players at every position he is being found out, just like Sacchi was in the latter end of his career. Pep’s contributions to the game can’t be measured, he is a brilliant manager. However he is no Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Helenio Herrera, Fabio Capello, Diego Simeone, Antonio Conte, Jurgen Klopp, Carlo Ancelotti, Johan Cryuff, Rinus Michels managers who adapt to changing times and weren’t so stubborn to a style to the point of it costing them. Pep is a romantic, too much of one like Sacchi was. While romantics produce brilliance, pragmatists survive and can build cultures anywhere. Sir Alex won at Aberdeen and United. Mourinho won at Porto, Chelsea, Inter, Real. Herrera won at Barca and Inter. Capello won at Milan, Roma, and Real. Rinus Michels won at Ajax, Holland, and Barca. They not only won but when these men left the club or country felt their absence and the teams won less as a result. Pep has benefited like Sachhi from being part of an all-time great team. He was not the best manager because a great manager can do the best with the resources he’s been given, at City he is showing that he didn’t deserve that title.

Cristiano Ronaldo: The world’s best player and his will to adapt and change.

 

Cristiano Ronaldo won another award on January 9th 2017, FIFA’s the Best award. Once again he’s considered by his peers as the best player in the world. Yet unlike many players he has been willing to adapt to a new position to maintain himself at the highest level.

When Sir Alex Ferguson took a bit of a gamble and spent 12 million pounds to buy Ronaldo from Sporting Lisbon, he was not only looking for a good player. He was looking for a replacement for David Beckham who left for Real Madrid in 2003. He wanted Ronaldo to have the responsibility of being United’s Number 7, a number worn by legends like Bryan Robson, Eric Cantona, and David Beckham. For a player as young as Ronaldo was it was a tall order. He wasn’t even the brightest Portuguese youngster at his own club. Barcelona at the time thought that Ricardo Quaresma was a more talented footballer and would turn out to be a star, just like Luis Figo when the Catalans brought him to the Camp Nou. Unfortunately for them he was a massive bust, playing only 11 games and scoring 1 goal. Eventually he was sold off to Porto. As for Ronaldo his career had just begun.

Ronaldo’s first season was a success, as the young winger dazzled United fans with his tricks and skills. He scored 8 goals his first season at United including the opening goal in the FA Cup final against Milwall. He was voted Sir Matt Busby player of the year for United in his first season. The next 2 seasons were more frustrating for Ronaldo, as his tricks and lack of end product bothered United fans. His lack of consistency and diving made him an easily scapegoat for some of United’s problems. United went trophyless in 2004-05 and only won the League Cup in 2005-06. Ronaldo played well at times. (He was instrumental in United’s incredible win at Arsenal in 2004-05 and he scored in United’s League Cup final triumph against Wigan.) However his struggles coupled with the signing of Wayne Roomey in 2004 changed things for Ronaldo. Rooney was a better player initially at United, as his strength, toughness, consistency, and goal-scoring ability had many United fans thinking he was the future star of the club. However after Ronaldo’s excellent and controversial 2006 World Cup, things began to change.

In 2006-07 playing as a winger, Ronaldo began his ascent to the top. He scored 23 goals and had 20 assists in all competitions as he helped United claim its first League title in 4 years. He was devastating offensively, as his partnership with Rooney and Louis Saha took England by storm and helped United end Chelsea’s dominance. In addition he scored 3 goals in the Champions League, helping Manchester United reach the semi-finals of the Champions League  where they lost to Milan 5-3 on aggregate. Fittingly he scored the winner that clinched United the league from the penalty spot against Manchester City. The next year his position would change, instead of being a tricky winger he became a complete goalscorer.

Ferguson realizing Ronaldo’s talent gave him a free-role within the team. Instead of forcing him to stay as a winger. He could roam around through the front 2 or 3. Rooney and Tevez being versatile forwards could switch position seamlessly. The result was spectacular as Ronaldo scored 42 goals in all competitions and led United to the Premier League and the Champions League double. His performances were outstanding as he scored 31 goals in the Premier League, including the winning goal against Wigan which sealed another league title. But where Ronaldo really shined was in the Champions League, ending as the top-scorer of the tournament with 8 goals. He scored the winner against Lyon in the Round of 16, a goal against Roma in the last 8, and scored a magnificent header in the final against Chelsea. Although many remember his penalty miss in the shoot-out, his brilliant performance in the game was breathtaking. (I am sure Michael Essien still has nightmares about having to mark Ronaldo in that game.) He won the Balon’d Or and the FIFA world player of the Year in 2008, making him the first player tow in the award in the modern Premier League. (since 1993) In 2008-09 Ronaldo had another great season leading United to another League title, a League Cup, and a Champions League final. In the run to the Champions League final, he scored against Inter in the Round of 16, the winner at Porto in the quarter-finals, and 2 goals at Arsenal to send United to the final. In the final Ronaldo and United were completely outclassed by Pep’s Barca and lost 2-0. In 2008 Ronaldo already wanting a move to Real Madrid promised Ferguson he would stay another year if he could go to Madrid in 2009. Ferguson had no choice but to accept, so after United’s season ended he began his negotiations with Real Madrid. In the biggest transfer ever at the time, Ronaldo left Manchester for Madrid in a reported 80 million pounds, 94 million euros. He was greeted by a record crowd at the Bernabeu in the summer of 2009 and from them on the rest was history.

At Madrid Ronaldo began to switch positions rather quickly. In his first season playing more as a traditional winger, sometimes as a second-striker, he scored 33 goals and was crucial to Real Madrid breaking their league points record. (96 points, sadly for Real Barca broke the record as well and got 99 points.) Pellegrini was soon dismissed after this trophyless season and Mourinho was brought in. Mourinho like Ferguson realized Ronaldo’s talent and gave him a free-role. Mourinho constructed the team around Ronaldo and the results were incredible. With a team full of pace and power, players like Di Maria, Ozil, Alonso, Benzema, and Higuain. Real won the Copa Del Rey and League in Mourinho’s first two seasons. Ronaldo was magnificent, scoring 54 goals in 2010-11 and 60 goals in 2011-12. His performances were excellent scoring 40 goals en route to being the top scorer in Spain in 2011, becoming the first player to win the European Golden shoe in 2 separate leagues. He scored the winner in the Copa Del Rey final; against Barcelona ending Madrid’s 3 year trophy drought. He scored the winner against Barca in the Camp Nou which helped seal up Real’s first La Liga title in 4 years. That season he scored 46 league goals but unfortunately for Ronaldo, Messi scored 50 goals and won the Balon’d Or in 2010, 2011, and 2012. Despite Ronaldo’s best efforts Barcelona won 2 league titles, 1 Copa Del Rey, 1 Champions League, 2 Spanish Super Cup, 1 UEFA Super Cup, and 1 Club World Cup between 2010-2013. Which helped Messi win 4 straight Balon d’Or titles. Real even with Mourinho couldn’t win in Europe, falling at the Semi-final stage 3 straight years and after a trophyless season in 2012-2013 Mourinho was fired by Real Madrid.

Now despite Real’s lack of success Ronaldo was brilliant in 2013, in Mou’s last season he scored 55 goals and was the Champions League’s top scorer. But his most important game that year was a World Cup playoff against Sweden in 2013. He scored all 4 goals for Portugal to help them qualify for the World Cup. The hat-trick against Sweden was one of his finest performances as he outscored Zlatan Ibrahimovic 3-2 in a two-man shootout. That helped Ronaldo win the Balon’d Or for the first time since 2008 as Messi had dominated the award since. Although his teams didn’t win anything he performed at such a level that voters felt that he deserved to win the award. However in 2013 Carlo Ancelotti’s arrival at Madrid began to turn the tide for Madrid and Ronaldo. With Bale being bought for a record fee, the pressure was gone from Ronaldo to carry the team as much. With the BBC (Benzema, Bale, Cristiano Ronaldo) in tow Real had their finest season in recent memory, winning the Copa Del Rey (with Ronaldo out injured in the final) and the Champions League. Bale the big summer signing scored winners in both finals and chipped in with 22 goals in all competitions. Benzema scored 24 goals in all competitions. Ronaldo playing out-wide in a front 3 was the star man, scoring 54 goals including a record 17 in the Champions League. He scored 4 times against Schalke in the Round of 16, the winning goal against Dortmund in the last 8, and 2 goals in the semi-finals in the 4-0 destruction of Bayern. In the final against Atletico he was limited by injury but he still assisted Marcelo for Madrid’s 3rd goal and won and converted a penalty for his 4th goal. Real were European Champions after a 12 year wait and Ronaldo was the main reason why they won the Champions League. The next season Real won the UEFA Super Cup and the Club World Cup and had a 22 game winning streak. (The winning streak is the longest in Spanish history.) However injuries cost Real Madrid as they ended up trophyless and Barcelona won the treble. Ronaldo had his finest statistical season, playing further up-front as a striker he scored 61 goals and had 20 assists. However he was beginning to decline and Messi won the Balon’d Or in 2015. It looked to many people that Ronaldo was not the same player anymore, especially as Rafa Benitez took over Real Madrid. Ronaldo just seemed to be off-form and unhappy. However in January 2016 Zidane took over the club and Ronaldo and the team’s fortunes changed. Putting Ronaldo back in a 4-3-3 except this time with more balance and Ronaldo played as a number 9 not a free-role. Real rolled only losing 2 times the rest of the season winning the Champions League. Ronaldo scored 16 times in the Champions League, including a superb hat-trick which overturned a 2-0 defeat to Wolfsburg into a 3-0 Real win at the Bernabeu. It was Ronaldo’s best performance in a Madrid jersey, the game that saved Zidane’s job and propelled Madrid to win the Undecima. Ronaldo scored 51 goals that season, his lowest output since 2009, however his performances were still brilliant. In Euro 2016 Ronaldo played as a striker with Nani and he scored 3 goals and 3 assists helping Portugal win their first major international trophy. He sacrificed his own stats for the good of the team, playing in a position where Portugal had no real option, as they had plenty of wingers but no strikers. His game against Hungary where he scored twice and saved Portugal from elimination might be one of the best of his career. As a reward for his remarkable 2016 he won another Balon’d Or and the FIFA’s “The Best” award.

Ronaldo’s development as a player is not to be disputed. Starting off as a winger, then a free-r0le, to a front 3, and now into a number 9 is not for every player. He won 4 Balon d’Or, in 2008, 2013, 2014, 2016 playing in multiple positions throughout. His versatility, timing of runs, and finishing ability is what makes him a truly outstanding player. Despite being his past his prime, he is still won 3 of the last 4 Balon d’ors. He has been the top scorer of the Champions League every year since 2012-2013, and he has scored 50 goals in all competitions every season for 6 straight seasons. Unlike his biggest rival Lionel Messi he has proven his excellence for his country as well. Portugal prior to Ronaldo never reached a major final and made 3 semi-finals in their entire history. Since Euro 2004 led by Ronaldo Portugal have reached 4 semi-finals, 2 finals, and won the Euros in 2016. He scored 12 goals in World Cups and Euros combined including a record-tying 9 goals across 4 European Championships. He is without a doubt one of the greatest players ever, maybe even the best. His greatness lies in his ability to work and adapt to positions. Despite many of his critics deriding him as “selfish” and only caring about individual awards, his sacrifices suggest otherwise. He plays where managers think they can get the best out of him. For Portugal he plays as a striker because of the lack of strikers around him, but when Pauleta played in 2004 Euros and 2006 World Cup he played out wide. Same for the 2008 Euros and 2010 World Cup where he struggled because they didn’t give him a free-role. When Bento finally gave Ronaldo a free role, it is when he started producing his best form for Portugal, scoring 3 goals in Euro 2012 and carrying the team to the 2014 World Cup.  For Real he played in a free-role in a 4-2-3-1 in his first few years, then transitioned to playing out wide in a 4-3-3 under Carlo Ancelotti and now plays as a striker in a 4-4-2 when Bale is out injured, or a wide player who can switch with Benzema or Bale in a 4-3-3 when they are both fit. Even with this constant changing he’s still puts up unreal stats. His great ability and completeness as a player allow him to switch positions seamlessly. After all he can score with his right foot, left foot, and from headers. But his greatness lies in what he helped his teams accomplish. Manchester United, Real Madrid, and Portugal owe some of their most incredible success down to one man: Cristiano Ronaldo.