Guardiola’s coaching revolution

victorious in barcelonavictorious in Bayern Munchen and victorious in manchester city. guardiola he has 16 years of career as a professional coach, experience in three European giants and 34 titles won so far. This Saturday, the 10th, he can win his 35th cup and this will be one of the most special ones he has ever piled up in his trophy room.

Responsible for revolutionizing football in the late 2000s, Pep Guardiola enchanted the world with a different way of playing football. The coach used Barcelona’s offensive DNA and leveraged that quality to a level never seen before. With ball possession, patience and precision, he enchanted the world. From the goalkeeper to the striker, everyone participated in the plays and this collective sense contaminated, in a good way, football as a whole.

Guardiola knew how to combine plasticity, the ‘beauty of football’, with precision and effectiveness. This mixture culminated in one of the greatest teams in history that managed to win everything that was possible. There were 247 official matches in front of Barcelona and an impressive 179 victories. That is, 72.5% success, which resulted in 14 titles, including two Champions League, in addition to 638 goals scored, an average of 2.58 goals per game.

What is most impressive is that this whole revolution took place with a 4-3-3 formation and without a number 9 shirt, in addition to a period of ‘only’ four seasons. This hegemony just didn’t follow, because he understood that the time was for change. So Guardiola left Spain for Germany, or rather Barcelona for Bayern Munich. The expectation around this work was great, but it was not fulfilled completely.

With a different team than the one he had at Barcelona, ​​Guardiola maintained the touch of the ball, the offensiveness and even increased his intensity a little more. But the move to Germany was characterized by the breakdown of the 4-3-3 formation. Although there were variations with three defenders when he was in charge of Barça, it was at Bayern Munich that he sought alternatives to a tactic that was already revolutionary.

Guardiola put into practice a 5-3-2, changed it to 3-5-2 and ended his time in Germany with a 3-4-3. With a reference center forward and new players, the Catalan found intensity and results in the national territory, but accumulated frustrations in the Champions League semifinals. Something was missing to find the best version of his new proposal. And she came, but it wasn’t in Bavarian territory, even with 120 wins in 160 games, in addition to seven titles and a 75% success rate, the best of her career.

Bayern Munich could not wait for this evolution and Guardiola needed a place where they had patience and believed in his work. Manchester City appeared as the ideal option and the result arrived, but it took a while. He is currently in his seventh season in England. National success, absolute winner in the Premier League, a devourer of English giants. However, the Champions League is still missing.

She was close in 2020/21, but Chelsea took her away from the Catalan, who hasn’t won a Champions League since 2010/11. 12 years later, against Inter Milan, this fast could end and also mark a new Guardiola revolution in world football. From the patience at the time of Barcelona, ​​he renewed himself, he kept a little of that characteristic, but prioritized the intensity.

And she was seen at her best level in this season’s Champions League semifinal, in the 4-0 against Real Madrid, in the middle of Etihad Stadium. This intensity can be called blitz, pressure, whatever it is, but it marks Guardiola’s tactical success in relation to the new way football is played. The 4-3-3 of the past appeared for years in England, but it was with a formation of three defenders that he found the apex of offensiveness with game volume.

There are already 412 games for Manchester City, 299 wins, 72.5% success rate, 1014 goals scored, 14 titles won and all these great numbers could be crowned this Saturday, 10th, with the Champions League title. His third European championship could then mean his second championship in the dispute for the world football revolution.

SEE THE SUMMARY OF GUARDIOLA NUMBERS!

247 games

179 wins

72.4% use

638 goals scored – 2.58 goals per game

14 Titles

4 seasons

160 games

120 wins

75% utilization

391 goals – 2.4 goals per game

7 titles

3 seasons

412 games

299 wins

72.5% use

1014 goals – average of 2.5 goals per game

13 titles

7 seasons