Praised for his talent, but faith and perseverance after failures are the factors that help coach Pep Guardiola raise the level of Man City.
In October 2012, Guardiola first met Garry Kasparov at a dinner in New York. The Spaniard was taking a year off after winning two Champions League titles with Barca. Kasparov had also long since retired after holding the World Chess Championship title from 1985 to 2000, and the world number one position from 1984 to 2006.
During that meeting, they did not mention chess or football.
Pep Guardiola (left) at the ceremony to receive three titles with Man City in Manchester, England on June 12, 2023. Photo: Reuters
A few weeks later, the two met again. At that time, 22-year-old Magnus Carlsen had just won the right to challenge World Chess Champion Viswanathan Anand. Carlsen had also just surpassed Kasparov to become the highest Elo player in the world. Guardiola asked Kasparov: "Can you beat Carlsen?" Kasparov replied: "I have the ability to beat him, but in practice I can't."
Guardiola found this answer interesting, and only later did he understand what Kasparov meant. The then 49-year-old implied that he could beat Carlsen in a game, or even just win a game, but not enough to win a long-term match. A chess game can last for over five hours, and a world chess final lasts for nearly a month. The key to becoming a Chess Master is not just skill, but also perseverance.
In the 10 years since leaving Barca, Guardiola has not been able to win the Champions League again, despite winning the national championship seven times during this period. He once took Man City to the final in 2021 but lost to Chelsea. But Guardiola did not give up, continuing to maintain Man City's monopoly in England until reaping the rewards of the 2023 Champions League title. That is the result of perseverance.
Kasparov also influenced Guardiola through his book "How Life Imitates Chess". According to former centre-back Vincent Kompany, Guardiola's way of using troops has many similarities to chess. "I have worked and learned from many talented coaches, but no one has taught me what Guardiola has taught me," Kompany said. "He teaches us about strategy, and any player who learns this lesson will think in a completely different way."
Kompany has just helped Burnley top the English Premier League in the 2022-2023 season, bringing the team to the Premier League. He said he learned valuable things from Guardiola such as space, how to act and react after a certain situation. This is also summarized by Kasparov in the above book. "Right after a heavy defeat, we have to analyze the match and find out what we did wrong," said Kompany. "We will start from those points, to correct mistakes and improve."
Guardiola has won 14 trophies with Man City in just seven years, averaging two titles a season. He is also the only manager in history to win the European treble twice, and won the domestic treble in England in 2019. Guardiola is so passionate about his work that his assistants have come up with a “32-minute rule”, meaning Guardiola never goes more than 32 minutes without being distracted by football.
Guardiola with the 2023 Champions League title with Man City. Photo: UEFA
Guardiola has inspired many players, not just Kompany. After winning the treble, Jack Grealish said he was grateful to the Spaniard. "Even though I played badly last season, he still believed in me," the England midfielder said.
Before Grealish, Guardiola was also patient with another English blockbuster, Raheem Sterling. He instructed Sterling down to the smallest detail, such as his posture, his gaze and his steps when receiving the ball. Guardiola also wanted his student to penetrate the penalty area quickly, and became angry whenever the player forgot his instructions. He even substituted him immediately after a missed shot because he was slow. "I'm telling you, I took you off for that reason," he said.
Guardiola's coaching style has had an impact on his players. Sterling is often considered a goal-scorer, but there was a period when he scored nearly 20 goals per season in the Premier League in 2017-2020. Before that at Liverpool, he had never scored 10 goals in a season.
Many players have also benefited from playing under Guardiola, such as Oleksandr Zinchenko, who was an attacking midfielder but was converted to a left-back role and is now a mainstay at Arsenal. Joao Cancelo was a defender but spent the season playing as a central midfielder to utilise his passing ability. Guardiola has also improved many players this season, notably centre-back John Stones, who has been promoted to a box-to-box midfielder.
With his attention to detail coaching style, Guardiola is considered the most influential coach of all time. Legendary coach Bob Paisley once let Liverpool players find their own solutions to problems, Alex Ferguson was famous for his team management skills, Carlo Ancelotti maintained harmony and unity in the team, and Zinedine Zidane was famous for his ability to inspire and motivate players. Guardiola created a strategic ideology that many coaches followed.
Key developments of the 2023 Champions League final.
Spain's success with back-to-back World Cup and Euro titles in 2010 and 2012 was heavily influenced by Guardiola. Germany won the 2014 World Cup with the Bayern Munich squad under Guardiola at the time. "There is no doubt that Guardiola is the most influential coach in world football in the last 50 years," said former Bayern technical director Michael Reschke. "Since he started working at Barca, Guardiola's teams have always been among the most watched in the world."
Guardiola's tenacity also comes from his philosophy of controlling and attacking football, which he learned from Kasparov's book. "When you initiate an attack, instead of having to react to the opponent, you control the game," Guardiola said. "Football is cyclical. Every time you have the ball, you have to control the game and try to gain an advantage."
Man City have taken over European football for now, but from next season, they will start a new cycle of domination. Guardiola will still be there, and will still be persistent, at least until the end of his contract.
Xuan Binh
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