You don’t have to be an insider to know that Pep Guardiola is more than likely on his way to Manchester City this summer. The Bayern Munich coach has announced the fact he will leave Bavaria at the expiration of his contract, saying he plans to work in the Premier League.
Though he’s backtracked somewhat, in saying it could now be TWO years until he lands on these shores, there is still a lingering feeling a deal has been put in place to install him at the Etihad this summer.
Manuel Pellegrini is of course still in charge, with a contract until 2017, but few expect the Chilean to actually see that deal out. A little harsh perhaps, but the 64-year-old will leave Manchester with his reputation boosted and at least two trophies to his name.
To be fair, if he can’t win the Premier League, without the challenge of Chelsea, with the amount of money he spent in the summer, maybe the former Malaga and Real Madrid chief should indeed depart.
Also, can you really blame the movers and shakers at Man City? This is Pep Guardiola, not just your run of the mill manager. Should they fail to act now, the 44-year-old will no doubt have lucrative overtures emanating out of Old Trafford, Stamford Bridge and perhaps even the Emirates.
If that isn’t sound enough logic for you, here’s FIVE reasons Man City should do everything in their power to land Pep Guardiola…
WORLD DOMINATION
Bosses at Manchester City can’t be content with the way things currently stand. Considering the sheer amount of investment they’ve pumped into all aspects of the club, they are still some way off being considered major players in the Champions League.
Their tribulations in the competition are well documented and no manager is better placed to deliver the Holy Grail. Having lifted it twice in his days with Barcelona, the 45-year old tactician is rightly considered to be one of the best coaches to ever enter the competition, and could easily add a third title while with Bayern Munich.
Manuel Pellegrini has finally won a group stage for the club, who face a tricky, but enviable, second round tie with Dinamo Kyiv. However, Guardiola’s nous within its frameworks are exactly the kind of attributes required to finally make City genuine contenders.
LEAGUE STANDING
Though Manchester City have won two titles within four years, it’s hard to truly argue they’ve ever been looked upon in the same light at Chelsea or Manchester United in their pomp. While no doubt entertaining, their title wins have come in dramatic circumstances late on into the season.
For City to really push on and be considered genuine contenders, they need to win a league in a similar fashion to the likes of the teams managed by Sir Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho. Guardiola, who has won the Bundesliga convincingly with Bayern Munich in both of his full seasons, will more than likely do so again.
A dominant display throughout the season would do wonders for the club, to exert their power over their opponents. Despite Chelsea’s capitulation since their coronation, they exuded power for large parts of the season last year and looked at times utterly unbreakable.
The legendary Spanish coach could finally make the saying ‘typical City’ a thing of the past.
DOMESTIC DOMINANCE
Though much of the club’s attention appears to be focused on winning the Champions League, it’s easy to forget the side have never won the league and FA Cup double. Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester United all managed this feat on numerous occasions in their most supreme reigns over English football.
Granted, they won the League Cup two seasons ago during their second title win, though the prestige of winning the major cup and lasting the distance in the Premier League still eludes them. Again, Guardiola has achieved that in both Germany and Spain, giving him one of the best CVs in Europe.
FIGUREHEAD OF THE PROJECT
Spanish football expert Guillem Balague has previously claimed the Manchester City project ‘is one of the biggest projects and football clubs in the world’. Whether it be their plethora of huge name stars, global brand or their impressive youth development behind the scenes, it seems City are hell bent on creating a world class facility from the ground up.
‘He could have the effect that Alfredo Di Stefano did at Real Madrid or Sir Alex Ferguson at Manchester United or Arrigo Sacchi at Milan if he was given the opportunity at City.’
It’s taken a while for the club to find their feet as a financial powerhouse. They missed out on Champions League qualification for a while, won the title in the most dramatic of ways, failed to push on and then won it again only to surrender it to Jose Mourinho.
Clearly, coming to terms with their new found riches hasn’t been the easiest of transitions. Appointing Guardiola, who has a wealth of experience imposing his work on some of the biggest clubs in world football, finally gives them a boss with the pedigree required to head up such an impressive project.
No disrespect to Pellegrini, who has steadied the ship since Roberto Mancini, but the Chilean is not the elite, charismatic man to be both the face and the brains of where Manchester City want to be.
THE HERE AND NOW
As much as Pep Guardiola would do off the pitch, for the standing of the club and the youth academy, the work he would do with some of their current star players is a truly mouth-watering prospect.
The fluid free-flowing football he is so famous for would truly bring out the best in the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne. This season, City have somewhat chugged along without every really playing that well, more relying on the individual brilliance on some of their stars.
However, Guardiola’s meticulous planning work on the training pitch, for which he is renowned, could elevate such players into the levels some of the Barcelona and Bayern stars under the stewardship of the Spaniard were playing at.
For England fans too, the mere prospect of Raheem Sterling crafting his trade under the Catalan icon is enough to get excited about.