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Many names have been touted in the last several years, men who have accomplished major things in world football, yet as Chelsea have found out, it is not so easy to get the right men, even if he is the best man. The job at Old Trafford is arguably one of the biggest roles in football and it requires a man of determination and resilience, with the ability to deal under the biggest pressures. There appears to be a belief that the “special one” is the ideal man for the job, the only one who has the ego and ability to deal with this high pressure job. I disagree.
Jose Mourinho is a journey man coach, one who goes from team to team and even though successful, is not in it for the long term. He is very successful at making his players believe in his system, he makes them winners. But, he does this with a team, not the club. He makes a group of players winners, but he does not plan for the future. He is consumed by a selfish desire to be the best manager, yet not to create a legacy, a dynasty. How long would Mourinho last at Old Trafford? 2, 3 years? No more. He has destroyed the greatness of Real Madrid in 2 years, they have become the antithesis to the beauty of Barcelona. Defensive style football versus attacking football may win games, yet Madrid or Man Utd are not defensive teams, they are attacking teams, there to entertain.
What is required of a top coach in world football today; they are psychologists, motivationists, tacticians, teachers. Who has these abilities and pedigree to justify working with a team of United’s statue? Martin O’Neill has been mentioned, yet he is a man who has no experience of coaching a top team, sorry, but Celtic don’t count on the grand scale of world football. He is an average coach who gets more from his players with motivation than tactics, however at the top level, motivation is not enough. Capello has shown to be capable of winning things yet he is too defensive for the English league and for a team like United. In my opinion there is only one man capable of taking over from Alex Ferguson, a man who has a history of winning titles and cups, a man who has teams playing winning, attacking football. The only man capable is Josep Guardiola.
Guardiola has shown in the past 4 years that he has all the attributes of coaching a successful team and managing players to put the team first, something Ferguson has always done so well. His brand of attacking football is regarded as the best there has ever been, he understands what is required and is able to get his message across. His name is synonymous with success, quality and class and he will have the draw of players all over the world willing to play for him. His multi lingual ability will enable him to communicate with the globalised world of players that are now a part of the English league.
It can be argued that Guardiola may actually be needed at United, where the 4-4-2 is still commonly used even though the modern game requires players through the units, the 4-3-3 showing how effective it can be in defence as well as attack. His impressive tactical brain and ability to alter aspects through the game appears to come from his time in Italy. It can be argued that Guardiola blends the styles and tactics and Spain and Italy and with his high tempo attacking play he has the potential to light the English league up where pressing and attacking is the bench mark of the league.
Above all, what makes Guardiola the perfect man to take over at the theatre of dreams is his trust and desire to develop youth through the Academy. One of Ferguson’s most important legacies is the players that he brings through, you cannot say that about Mourinho and I struggle to believe that Ferguson, who will undoubtedly have the option of who to take on, will choose a man who neglects products of the Academy so readily. Guardiola has brought through 25 players from the La Masia Academy in his time with Barca, he is an avid believer in that youth players, developed with the love of the club with the team’s philosophy ingrained into them, will be more valuable to the team.
After being beaten twice by Guardiola I am in no doubt that Ferguson looked across to his foe and believed that he was looking at a man who stood for everything he did; passion, dedication, high principles and a love for attacking football. With the life span of Spanish coaches being no more than 3 years, Pep knows he is coming to the end of a most glittering career at the Camp Nou. He has spoken of wanting to coach in England yet wants to take a sabbatical to spend more time with his family. It is not hard to believe that when Ferguson ends his time in the summer of 2013, Pep will be waiting in the wings to be unveiled, Alex’s last gift to the club, safe in the knowledge that Pep will continue his tradition of style and winning.
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