Emmanuel Petit does not agree that Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has lost his aura like Jose Mourinho.
The ex-Chelsea boss has struggled to replicate his success in his later years as a manager and, asked by pokerfirma.com whether Guardiola has suffered the same fate, Petit said that the Catalan’s problems lie in his inability to find tactical solutions:
“I think the fact that they didn’t buy new players during last summer had an impact on the players. I think a lot of players looked tired mentally and physically this season and starting with Pep Guardiola as well on the bench. He showed it so many times. He lost his temper.”
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“He showed so many times that he was not controlling his emotion on the pitch and off the pitch as well. He’s had so many arguments with his players at the end of games this season. Against Brighton with the goalkeeper, the way he scratched his head as well, you could see that something wrong was happening to the team.”
“The way he was sometimes clueless as well on the bench. He was not able to find the right solution. This is something that was new for me to watch because I always saw that he always had ideas to find solutions, answers to his team problems. And this season I think he was not able to do that. They need to change the team. This is why they spent money during transfer window in January, this market is not the best one to change your team. I’m pretty sure that within the next transfer market they will work very hard to bring new players in.”
With the verdict on the club’s Financial Fair Play breaches looming, Petit speculates that adversity could yet bring the best out of Guardiola once again:
“We don’t know what’s actually going on with Manchester City, what will be the punishment with the club if they are found guilty of the charges.
“So there is a question actually, maybe the hardship will force him to come back stronger. But again, as a human being, I think he’s been through difficult times. So there’s so many questions actually surrounding Manchester City and Pep Guardiola, but I won’t say that it’s the same as Mourinho. I think Pep Guardiola has done such amazing work at City and the Premier League.”
Guardiola’s points per game this season is the worst of his career
Such have been the standards the 54-year-old has set as a manager that this will be the first time he will end a campaign with less than 2 points per match.
In the Premier League, his team have accrued 1.66 points per game up until now. The lowest figure that Guardiola has recorded as a manager is 2.05, which came in his first season at the Etihad Stadium.
Man City are set for a massive rebuild
As Petit mentions, some new players were brought in at the start of the year but it is believed that the club could be even busier in the transfer market this summer.
It is believed that up to eight members of the first-team squad could be let go with Guardiola needing a fresher group of players who are hungrier for success. All eras must come to an end and it remains to be seen whether Guardiola has the capacity to produce a second great City team.
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