Five Things Pep Guardiola told GQ when the Manchester City boss suggests retirement
Pep Guardiola didn’t hinder his thinking. Whether it’s a dugout, at a press conference, or in a quiet room with views of Barcelona’s Passeig de Gracia, the Manchester City manager is always as outspoken as it is.
In a recent interview with GQ, Guardiola opened up about his struggles, his philosophy on football and life, and for the first time spoke about his plans for the future.
This introduces five important things we’ve learned from the charming sit-ins in one of the biggest hearts of soccer.
“My head said enough” – Why Guardiola knows when it’s going to stop
Looking back at both his performance and his coaching career, Guardiola made it clear that for him the critical factor was not his physical state, but his mental clarity.
“My career stopped when my head said enough,” he explained. “I could have lingered it, but my head said: I’m tired, I can’t do it anymore. I think I knew how to stop at the right moment. The same thing happened to me in my coaching job at FC Barcelona.
“It’s time I said enough. That’s enough. I’ll look for another challenge. When you try to push it hard, things just don’t go well.
The city boss claims that the spiritual aspect of sports, and that life is “everything.”
“It’s the least studied muscle, probably due to difficulties. But it all comes from it.”
That same spiritual approach will guide his decision to leave Barcelona in 2012, leading him again in the future.
The lessons of disrupted seasons and failure
Guardiola was not embarrassed to explain the challenges of the city’s most difficult season under his watch.
But he sees it as a necessary fix after dominating it in the Premier League for many years
“If you win six Premier Leagues, it’s time to go downhill, that’s human nature.
“We probably moved more players, but it’s easy to tell the truth. Success is confusing you. It’s not confusing us in many years, but this year we’ve had a lot of injuries.
“Why? Because the focus is not focused on what you need to do anymore. When the focus is not focused on what you need to do anymore, you get more injured.”
Despite the criticism he faces, “I was at all away stadiums for four or five months, screaming at the crowd, ‘You’ll be fired in the morning,'” — Guardiola says he embraced the challenge.
“Look, one thing about sports is that you can’t always win every competition you play because it’s impossible.
Fail? He loves it
In a perfectly obsessed world, Guardiola finds beauty in defeat.
“I’m glad I’ve failed. I love failure. In this society where everything has to be perfect, you have to post food on Instagram…
“Oh, how good, how happy am I?” Every day we have to prove that we are happy. Well, yes, I’m sad, I fail, I lose. So? So? Name those who don’t do that. The important thing is to do it, give everything you need and do well. ”
For him, shortages are an important part of the process.
“I’ve done it poorly, but I got worse than I expected, but I’ll try again the next day, and I’ll do more next year. That’s all.”
Comparison of Yamal and Messi
The Barcelona-born coach couldn’t avoid questions about Ramin Yamal, who 18-year-old Wonder Kid has already been praised as the “next Messi.” Guardiola was wise in his words.
“I think Ramin Yamal should be allowed to develop his career, and when he’s been playing for 15 years, we decide whether he’s good or bad. He lets his career develop.
“And the fact that he is being compared to Messi is a big deal… but we have to let him develop his career, and we will see.”
He then added reality checks for those who expect another Messi.
“Messi was a big deal. He’s been 90 goals in a season, hasn’t been injured in 15 years, hasn’t been injured. That’s a big deal. Let him go. Let him go.”
And what kind of ability does he have to do with his return to Barcelona?
“It’s over. It’s over forever. It was so pretty, but it’s over now.”
“I’m going to stop after this stage with the city” – Guardiola’s future
Perhaps the most eye-catching revelation came when Guardiola dealt with the issue of longevity.
Some coaches stay on the touchline until they can no longer hold back, but Pep is already determined.
“I know I’m going to stop after this stage with the city.
“I don’t know the time I don’t know, but I stop after this stage in the city.
He explained that this break was a chance to slow down:
“In Catalan, they say Badar. Badar, Badar, Badar, Badar… I want to do this. I want to see a cow passing by as the train passes. My grandfather is watching me like a cow watching a train pass.
Does this mean he will never coach again? That’s not necessarily the case.
“Life will put something before me, and I say.
For all the stories of tactics, trophies and titles, the portrait emerged from today’s Pep Guardiola, deeply aware of his limits, fascinated by the power of his mind, and ready to descend the carousel when the time comes.
While city fans may find comfort in the fact that his passion is still burning, the countdown is beginning.
When Guardiola decides that his head has enough again, football has to get used to seeing the train pass without him.