Sir Alex Ferguson’s powerful point about former Manchester City and Barcelona boss Pep Guardiola could shift in a way that proves the Manchester United legend’s assessment.
Pep Guardiola’s decade-long dominant reign at the Etihad came to an end in May after the 55-year-old Spaniard bowed out of Manchester City as the club’s manager.
The former Barcelona boss achieved incredible success with City in the post-Sir Alex Ferguson era, including leading Manchester United’s rivals to a continental treble.
Guardiola and Sir Alex Ferguson have a history dating all the way back to the former Man City manager’s remarkable tenure in charge of La Liga side Barcelona.
Pep Guardiola’s Man City support could validate Sir Alex Ferguson’s Barcelona point if Man Utd rivals can’t prove innocence
Before Pep Guardiola wrote his history at Manchester City, iconic former Manchester United manager Sir Alex Ferguson offered his two cents on the Spaniard in England. Guardiola left Bayern Munich and arrived in the Premier League in 2016, as the former Man City boss replaced Manuel Pellegrini in the Etihad dugout.
Ferguson knew all too well what Guardiola could bring to the table for Man City after his former Man Utd sides fell short to his rival’s legendary Barcelona teams in two Champions League finals. Despite the 84-year-old Scotsman tipping Guardiola for success at the Etihad, Ferguson questioned if the Spaniard could reach the “high standard” that he did at Barcelona.
“Without question, Pep has got a fantastic work ethic about him; he demands that from all of his training sessions,” he told Sky Sports in 2016.
“Pep will be a success, but I don’t think he’ll ever replicate what he did at Barcelona because that was a high standard – they were the best.”
It could be argued that Guardiola did produce ‘high standards’ at Man City in the same way he did with Barcelona, including the club’s treble win in the 2022-23 season. However, it could be equally suggested that Guardiola’s ‘high standards’ are linked to Man City clearing their name against the financial rules that they have alleged to have broken.
Guardiola’s legacy is at risk of facing a major asterisk next to key achievements if the Premier League club cannot win their appeal against the 115 charges that it now faces. Rather than remaining silent on the subject, the former Bayern Munich boss has now spoken on the situation.
“I want every single [Man City] fan to know I am here; more than ever,” reads a statement posted on his official account on X, formerly Twitter.
“I am, always have been, always will, be behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran, the players, staff, Enzo [Maresca] and you, our unique supporters. Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all.”
It would make sense for Guardiola to come out to back his former employer, as the ex-Barcelona star would struggle to avoid the question for the rest of his life. But now Guardiola has thrown his backing behind the club and it should be argued his legacy at the Etihad is on the line.
City have their back against the wall and United’s rivals face a tall order in trying to prove they did no wrongdoings from the 2009-10 to 2017-18 seasons. The aforementioned dates might not impact all of Guardiola’s reign, but the knock-on effect will be felt if City can’t clear their name.
Guardiola’s ‘high standards’ will be for nothing if City are stripped of major honours and his public support for them backfires on him. It is safe to say that Ferguson could be right about his Barcelona and Man City comparison if the history books are rewritten after City’s saga over the breaking of financial rules is ended.
Only time will tell if Guardiola’s statement comes back to haunt him and vindicates Ferguson for the fact that he was not able to replicate his Barcelona standards in a clean way due to Man City’s actions.
from United In Focus https://ift.tt/cNEDtFq