Things you were wrong on

[ShiftyPowers]

You won the title in fucking March.

There's no Real Madrid or even Atletico in Germany. The title is inevitable especially with the squad he was given and the money he has spent. He needs to win the CL (or at least have a RESPECTABLE Semi Final exit along with winning the title) or else he's a failure. That's just what the expectations are, AND SHOULD BE, for a squad of this quality. On paper, a traditional XI of

Lewandowski
Muller-Gotze-Robben
Alonso-Schweinsteiger
Alaba-Benatia-Boateng-Lahm
Neuer

is the best in the world. If he wants to fuck around with everything, that's fine, but he's judged on the team he could be playing, not the stupid shit he chooses to play.

 

[Pogba4Now]

"Pep" has always been overrated. He inherited a team that would go on to win the world cup once and the Euros twice AND Messi, who can score 50 goals a season. Who wouldn't win the treble with that team?

 

[Filipower]

David Moyes and Louis Van Gaal.

 

[chygry]

Overrated? I'm not so sure about that.

He inherited a quality squad that's for sure, but he did make some drastic changes to it. He got rid of the players that were considered as deadweight at the time: Ronaldinho, Deco, Zambrotta etc, which eventually gave more playing time to the likes of Xavi and Iniesta. Also the removal of Ronaldinho made Messi their main man. He also started playing him in the centre.

He signed Dani Alves, who has been a great servant for them over the years. Brought back Piqué and made him a starter, promoted players like Busquets and Pedro. Both who've been very important to their squad over all all those years.

Shipped out Yaya Touré to make room for Busquets, and look where he's now, considered as one of the best holding midfielders in the world. Pedro has been fantastic for them, but has faded a bit lately with the likes of Alexis, Neymar etc getting signed.
Even Bojan had a couple of decent seasons under him.

I can think of a number of managers who couldn't have achieved what Guardiola did with that team, or made those changes.

 

[Xaviesta]

"Pep" has always been overrated. He inherited a team that would go on to win the world cup once and the Euros twice AND Messi, who can score 50 goals a season. Who wouldn't win the treble with that team?

Well, Pep made that team, that's the most important thing. He had balls to get rid of Deco, Ronaldinho etc, gave youngsters a chance and moved Messi to false 9 + some great transfers. Lucho is doing a similar thing now, that's why I love the guy.

 

[chygry]

+ some great transfers

He did make some bizarre signings as well. Like signing Chygrynskiy () for 25m euros. Only for him to spend one season at Barca, before getting sold back to WAXTAP for 15m. Also the Eto'o + money for the Zlatan deal, well he wanted to get rid of Eto'o before that season when they won everything they could've. But that Zlatan signing didn't really work out, he's a great player and all, but just didn't fit in the system.

 

[Xaviesta]

Zlatan did fit in the system, he just had his personal problems with Pep.

And some transfers were made by Zubizarreta, Pep had nothing to do with that. Keirrison and Henrique.

 

[yoyo913]

Gotta give Guardiola loads of credit for developing the tiki taka system which made Barca one of the most unique and powerful teams in the world and will make them remembered decades from now.

Many of the great players he had he developed and let flourish (e.g. Made Xavi one of the greatest mids of all time.)

 

[Xifio]

Gotta give Guardiola loads of credit for developing the tiki taka system

lol what? the phrase "tiki-taka" was popularized during his tenure, but the philosophy definitely wasn't developed by him ...

 

[chygry]

Zlatan did fit in the system, he just had his personal problems with Pep.

Yeah Guardiola has always liked a good target man, that's no secret. Zlatan did good at the beginning of his Barca career (first half of the season), but would you say that you guys were better with him leading the front line, or with Messi being there? That's a nobrainer really.

Even Thierry Henry outscored him during his second season at Barca playing on the left wing. While the likes of Eto'o and Messi managed to do the same during the same season. That trio almost had like 90 goals between them.

 

[Xifio]

Even Thierry Henry outscored him during his second season at Barca playing on the left wing.

how many did he score in 2009/10?

 

[yoyo913]

lol what? the phrase "tiki-taka" was popularized during his tenure, but the philosophy definitely wasn't developed by him ...

Developing can also be used as "bringing along". He reached the highest level of performance with it.

 

[Dytza]

Henry scored only 4 goals that season, while Zlatan scored 21. The only one who outscored him besides Messi was Pedro with 23, and that's in all competitions ( 6 ). In Primera, Zlatan was our 2nd scorer with 16 goals in 29 appearences.

 

[Sir Didier Drogba]

In that case Guardiola "developed" the most boring footballing strategy ever seen, as well as projecting the most odious man on the planet to the position of "worlds greatest" and turning the an almost "perfect" team, arguably the closest a team has come to perfect in my generation, into some weird experimental petri dish. Viva Guardiola

 

[Dytza]

Pep himself stated that he hates the term "tiki-taka" which doesn't really describe Barça's games during his era. But yoyo has a point, he did make that Barça one of the best teams in football history with that style.

Also, Busquets, Spain's most important player according to Del Bosque was promoted by Pep. He didn't really get Spain's WC winning generation from his first year at Barça. It's more like he created that generation. Both Xavi and Iniesta weren't first line player for Rijkaard, Pique was warming the bench and United, and Busquets and Pedro were playing for Barcelona B.

 

[chygry]

how many did he score in 2009/10?

Not many really, but he was slowly in decline, and was being replaced by Pedro in the starting XI.

Now Dytza i was talking about Henry's most succesful season with Barca, the one that was before Zlatan joined. Anyway the latter did pretty well, considering the fact that he suffered from a loss of form in the second half of the season (and a fallout with Guardiola of course). And was phased out by Messi and even Bojan. (I remember that second leg against Inter in the CL so well, when Guardiola brought on Bojan for Zlatan which didn't seem like a smart move, he eventually scored but it was ruled off as offside, i was rooting for Inter anyway :P).

 

[Xaviesta]

25 goals and 15 assists for Ibra in 09/10.

 

[Xifio]

Developing can also be used as "bringing along". He reached the highest level of performance with it.

it sounded like you were referencing its inception; otherwise, you are right ... and yes, undoubtedly the winningest year at the top level in modern European football ...

Pep himself stated that he hates the term "tiki-taka" which doesn't really describe Barça's games during his era. But yoyo has a point, he did make that Barça one of the best teams in football history with that style.

I can only imagine what the world would have thought of Cruyff and his Barça if they had played in a globally interwebbed age ...

Pep himself stated that he hates the term "tiki-taka" which doesn't really describe Barça's games during his era.

Pep engages in pigeonholing, but [understandably] doesn't like others doing it to him ...

Also, Busquets, Spain's most important player according to Del Bosque was promoted by Pep. He didn't really get Spain's WC winning generation from his first year at Barça. It's more like he created that generation. Both Xavi and Iniesta weren't first line player for Rijkaard, Pique was warming the bench and United, and Busquets and Pedro were playing for Barcelona B.

Pep's legacy for me is in pushing the contemporary Barça identity firmly into the realm of Catalanism and Canteranism ...

 

[Dytza]

No, the transfermarkt statistic is wrong. He only had 4 goals in the CL not 8.

 

[chygry]

Not bad.. But Eto'o was better for Barca, and Guardiola moving Messi into the middle benefited the team more than keeping Ibra around. I'm no Ibra hater, you can show me the stats all you like. But it's a fact that it didn't work out for him at Barca.