Guardiola's perseverance

Praised for his talent, it was his belief and perseverance after setbacks that truly elevated Manchester City.

In October 2012, Guardiola first met Garry Kasparov at a dinner in New York. The Spanish strategist was then taking a year off after the glory of winning two Champions League titles with Barca. Kasparov, on the other hand, had long since retired after holding the World Chess Champion title from 1985-2000 and the world number one ranking from 1984-2006.

During that meeting, they didn't mention chess or football at all.

Pep Guardiola (left) during the celebration of winning three trophies with Man City in Manchester, England on June 12, 2023. Photo: Reuters

A few weeks later, the two met again. By then, 22-year-old Magnus Carlsen had just earned the right to challenge World Champion Viswanathan Anand. Carlsen had also just surpassed Kasparov to become the world's highest-ranked player in terms of Elo rating. Guardiola asked Kasparov: "Can you beat Carlsen?" Kasparov replied: "I have the ability to beat him, but in reality, it's impossible."

Guardiola found this answer interesting, and only later understood Kasparov's meaning. The then 49-year-old player was implying that he could win a game against Carlsen, or at least gain an advantage in a game, but not enough to win a long match. Each chess game can last over five hours, and a World Chess Championship final can last almost a month. The key to becoming a chess king is not just skill, but also perseverance.

In the 10 years since leaving Barca, Guardiola was unable to win the Champions League again, despite winning the league title seven times during that period. He led Man City to the final in 2021 but lost to Chelsea. But Guardiola didn't give up, continuing to maintain Man City's dominance in England until he reaped the rewards with the 2023 Champions League title. That was the result of perseverance.

Kasparov also influenced Guardiola through his book "How Life Imitates Chess." According to former defender Vincent Kompany, Guardiola's tactics have many similarities to chess. "I've worked with and learned from many talented coaches, but no one taught me what Guardiola taught me," Kompany said. "He taught us about strategy, and any player who grasps this lesson will think in a completely different way."

Kompany recently led Burnley to the top of the English Championship in the 2022-2023 season, bringing the team to the Premier League. He stated that he learned valuable lessons from Guardiola, such as space, how to act, and how to react to specific situations. This is also summarized by Kasparov in his book. "Even after a heavy defeat, we have to analyze the game and find areas where we didn't perform well," Kompany said. "We will start over from those points, to correct our mistakes and improve."

Guardiola won 14 titles with Man City in just seven years, averaging two trophies per season. He is also the only manager in history to have won the European treble twice, and the domestic treble in England in 2019. Guardiola is so passionate about his work that his assistants devised 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 inspires many players, not just Kompany. After winning the treble, Jack Grealish said he was grateful to the Spanish coach. "Even though I played terribly last season, he still believed in me," the English midfielder said.

Before Grealish, Guardiola was also patient with another English blockbuster signing, Raheem Sterling. He instructed Sterling on every detail, such as posture, gaze, and footwork when receiving the ball. Guardiola also wanted his player to aggressively penetrate the penalty area, and would get angry whenever the player forgot his instructions. He even substituted him immediately after a missed opportunity due to a slow timing. "Let me tell you, I substituted you for that reason only," he said.

Guardiola's coaching style has had an impact on the players. Sterling is often considered a player who is unlucky with goals, but there was a period when he scored approximately 20 goals per season in the Premier League between 2017 and 2020. Before that at Liverpool, he never scored more than 10 goals in a single season.

Many players have also benefited from playing under Guardiola, for example, Oleksandr Zinchenko, formerly an attacking midfielder, was moved to left-back and is now a key player at Arsenal. Joao Cancelo, a defender, had a season playing as a central midfielder to utilize his passing ability. This season, Guardiola has also improved many players, notably center-back John Stones, who has been promoted to play as a box-to-box midfielder.

With his meticulous coaching style, Guardiola is considered one of the most influential coaches of all time. Legendary coach Bob Paisley used to let Liverpool players figure out their own solutions to problems, Alex Ferguson was famous for his team management skills, Carlo Ancelotti maintained harmony and unity within the team, and Zinedine Zidane excelled at inspiring and motivating his players. Guardiola, however, created a strategic ideology that many coaches have emulated.

Key events of the 2023 Champions League final.

Spain's success with two consecutive World Cup and European Championship titles in 2010 and 2012 bore the strong imprint of Guardiola. Germany won the 2014 World Cup with a core group of Bayern Munich players under Guardiola at the time. "There is no doubt that Guardiola is the most influential coach in world football over 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 exciting in the world."

Guardiola's persistence also stems from his philosophy of control and attacking football, something he learned from Kasparov's book. "When you initiate an attack, instead of reacting to the opponent, you control the game," Guardiola said. "Football also has cycles. Every time you have the ball, you have to control the game and then find a way to gain an advantage."

Man City currently dominates European football, but from next season, they will start from scratch and begin a new cycle of dominance. Guardiola will still be there, and will remain persistent, at least until his contract expires.

Xuan Binh

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