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The last time Pep Guardiola looked and sounded like this was during a year in New York. This time he goes straight to the derby against Manchester United in the Premier League.
Guardiola, the Manchester City coach, seems lost and tired. His podcast chat with Spanish chef Dani García published this week has offered us a rare glimpse into his soul, and at times it seemed as if there were doubts and a dead battery staring back at him.
When asked if he would like to manage another club after City, Guardiola says: “I wouldn’t have the energy.” The idea of starting somewhere else, the whole training process and so on. No, no, no.
‘I want to quit and go play golf. I think stopping then would be good for me.
This is not the Guardiola we think we know. The Guardiola we think we know does not frame conversations in terms of rest, tiredness and standing still. It is generally characterized by the opposite. For energy and life and for moving forward.
But while he is at the start of a recently signed two-year contract extension and on the cusp of what continues to look more and more like a major rebuild at City, his recent statements are at odds with all that, with everything he may be necessary. .
Pep Guardiola is in the midst of the most difficult episode of his decorated coaching career.
Manchester City only has one victory in its last 10 games after the defeat against Juventus
The manager was unexpectedly candid in a recent podcast with Spanish chef Dani García.
Of all the problems currently facing a defending champions team with one win in its last 10 games, Guardiola is starting to look like the most important of them. City have injuries, out of form players and aging stars. They can fix all that. Maybe not this season but over time.
But a Guardiola who is starting to run out of gas? No, they can’t fix that. Only he can fix that and this is what brings us back to New York. Because, as we say, Guardiola is no stranger to exhaustion and burnout. You’ve been down that debilitating path before.
It was in 2012, when City were winning their first Premier League title, that Guardiola escaped from Barcelona, leaving behind 14 trophies won in four incredible seasons, but also burdened by the mental and emotional baggage of a bitter and exhausting rivalry. with José Mourinho. and Real Madrid.
“So many things happened with Mourinho,” he said later. “So many things.”
Life in Barcelona exhausted Guardiola in just four years. He was 41 when he took that 12-month sabbatical in New York that allowed him to finally start over at Bayern Munich.
He is now 53 years old and approaching his ninth season in England. Why would we expect battery life to be longer this time? It is a question that becomes increasingly pertinent the longer this current period of confusion and uncertainty in east Manchester drags on.
As it happens, City were not particularly bad in losing to Juventus in Turin on Wednesday night. They responded well to losing a goal early in the second half and looked the most likely scorers when the Italians pounced on them to score the second. Sometimes football is like that. Games ignite moments and this one did.
Afterwards, Guardiola attempted to adopt a defiant tone in his conversation with TNT Sports.
The last time the Catalan coach felt so exhausted he left Barcelona and took a year off
But Guardiola will have to try to refocus his serial champions mid-season.
“We will appreciate what we have done in the past more in the future when we do it again,” he said.
It was a nice phrase and he can be good at it when he feels like it. However, mainstream media interviews are about image and projecting a message. When you’ve been in this for as long as Guardiola has, you know what to do, what to say. It’s part of the job.
But there was a rawness and a directness to that podcast interview (recorded before City’s 4-0 defeat to Tottenham when the run was simply winless in four games) that was quite surprising and everyone who has it in their hearts City’s best interests must only hope that the impression he left was false.
Whether it’s Kevin De Bruyne returning to his best, Jack Grealish rediscovering his treble-winning form or Ederson remembering how to be a goalkeeper again, it really fades into nothing when compared to Guardiola’s slowly becoming image. grey. This is the shadow that hangs over the club ahead of Sunday’s derby against United in front of their own fans.
Guardiola seems beaten and he may not be. Only he knows how he really feels. He will surely rage against the death of the light. City also have very good players to help them recover.
Likewise, Guardiola wouldn’t win many poker games. It doesn’t go very well for the unscrupulous. Much of what you are going through and experiencing tends to be written directly in the lines and contours of your face.
Signing that contract last month was a shot in the arm for City and, indeed, the Premier League. How does it look now? The truth is that it is difficult to say. And that in itself says it all.
Saudi Arabia 2034 was no surprise
The reaction to FIFA’s decision to hand Saudi Arabia the 2034 World Cup on a plate has been predictable.
We know what was wrong in the process. We know what is wrong with the result. But amid all the noise, objections and handshakes, one question remains.
When is anyone (a national association, a coach or a player) going to take a real stand against the direction in which President Gianni Infantino and his group of FIFA supporters continue to push our game?
When is someone going to say “no”?
Gianni Infantino was delighted to announce Saudi Arabia as the undisputed host of the 2034 World Cup on Wednesday.
Man United’s late kick-off is nonsense
Sunday’s Premier League matches between Chelsea and Brentford and Southampton and Tottenham will kick off at 7pm. This is because Chelsea and Spurs will play in Europe on Thursday.
Chelsea have a long way from Kazakhstan. Spurs, on the other hand, return from Glasgow. Meanwhile, next month, Manchester United will play Fulham on Sunday, January 26 at 7pm after objecting to a midday kick-off that day. Their previous Thursday night game is at home.
And thus a precedent has been set. Chaos will undoubtedly ensue. More inconvenience for traveling fans.
The Premier League could have treated Chelsea as a special case. His journey is singularly long. But now that they’ve opened the door we can expect everyone else to come running in.
It’s nonsense.
Tuchel is finally in town
England coach Thomas Tuchel will be present at Friday’s World Cup qualifying draw in Zurich. It will be nice to see him…finally.
Thomas Tuchel will finally start representing England in Friday’s World Cup qualifying draw
Magpies move closer to stadium decision
Newcastle say they will not make a decision on whether they will build a new stadium until next year, but they say the first option is to stay at St James’ Park.
“It’s in an iconic location and the atmosphere gives the team a competitive advantage,” said director of operations Brad Miller. “It already has 52,000 seats and we would have to pay for all those seats again.”
Remember the days when Newcastle walked and talked like the richest club in the world?