5 reasons why Pep Guardiola is truly special

Josep Guardiola Sala, more familiarly known as Pep in the footballing world, needs no introduction. The current Manchester City manager is one of destiny's favourite to have embraced the game. Pep has created a long-lasting legacy in his career, both as a player and currently as a manager.

Let's take a look at 5 reasons that make us believe he is truly special:

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#1: A footballing legacy beyond his current managerial exploits

Pep Guardiola as captain of FC Barcelona

From joining Barcelona's fabled La Masia at just 13 years of age, to progressing through the youth ranks to mark his debut for one of the best teams in the world is no mean feat.

Pep was a technically gifted player who evolved as one of the finest central defensive midfielders of his generation. His abilities as a deep-lying playmaker are highly applauded by pundits and fans alike.

Pep is, perhaps, one of the most distinguished disciples of former Dutch Legend, Johann Cruyff and his philosophy of "Total Football". He was at the heart of Cruyff's "Dream Team" which won Barcelona's first European Cup in 1992 and four consecutive La Liga titles from 1991 to 1994.

Pep earned 47 caps for the Spanish National Team and was a part of the Olympic Gold medal winning squad in 1992. He also represented Spain at the FIFA World Cup in 1994 and the UEFA Euro in 2000.

#2: Subsequent return and success as manager of FC Barcelona

Pep Guardiola was unveiled as the manager of FC Barcelona in 2008

In 2008, Joan Laporta, the then Barca president, presented Pep Guardiola as the new manager of FC Barcelona. Barca had just relieved another Dutch legend Frank Rijkaard of his duties, following a disappointing spell in both, home and European competitions.

The decision surprised a lot of pundits because of Pep’s relative inexperience as a manager, after all, he had only managed Barca B, that too, for merely 1 year.

Guardiola proved all his doubters wrong and heralded a new era of possession-based football. Barca became the first Spanish team in history to win the treble of La Liga, UEFA Champions League and Copa Del Rey.

Further, in 2009, the team went on to claim the UEFA Super Cup, Spanish Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup to become the first team in history to have won the sextuple. Guardiola became the first manager to win a sextuple, a Spanish treble and the youngest to win a Champions League, a trophy which he won again in 2011.

Guardiola won 14 trophies during his tenure as Barcelona manager from 2008-2012, and his managerial record stands an astounding 179 wins, 47 draws and 21 losses in 247 games with a win percentage of 72.5%.

#3: He reinvented the 'false 9' role and implemented the Tiki-Taka tactic

Guardiola and Messi showcased some of the best football at the Camp Nou

The first major decision taken by Pep was to offload players that were seemingly not in his plans; including Deco, Samuel Eto'o and a certain Ronaldinho Gaucho. It takes guts for any manager to transfer a former Ballon d'Or winner, a fan favourite, and a player who was still at his prime.

Instead, Pep handed over the famous number 10 jersey to a scrawny young Argentine who goes by the name Lionel Messi, which marked the beginning of a lifelong special relationship.

Pep boosted the squad with technically gifted players such as Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Sergio Busquets, Cesc Fabregas, Pedro, Gerard Pique and Carles Puyol. The squad was crafted to cater to Guardiola’s demands of possession-based football, high pressing, immaculate vision and one-touch passing – now popularly known as Tiki-Taka.

This system was also highly utilized by the Spanish National Team in the 2010 FIFA World Cup triumph, which comprised of as many as seven Barcelona players in the starting XI.

At Barca, Messi was played as a ‘false 9’ i.e, he was positioned between the opposition’s midfield and defence line while having the freedom to roam anywhere in the park to orchestrate the gameplay.

This created confusion as the opposition never knew where exactly to mark Messi and when to press him, as going after him always left one of Xavi or Iniesta unmarked to unlock defences.

#4: Adaptability to different leagues

Bayern Munich winning the German Cup against Borussia Dortmund

After taking a one-year sabbatical from coaching, Pep joined Bayern Munich looking for new challenges. In Germany, once again, people had doubts over Pep’s ability to play in the Bundesliga; more so because of the physicality of the league and a need for a transition from his beloved Tiki-Taka to a more direct and fast-paced brand of football.

Pep silenced his critics by winning the Bundesliga, DFB Pokal, UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup in his first year as manager! Such was Bayern’s dominance in the Bundesliga, that Manuel Neuer famously said that he didn’t need showers after the match as the ball barely reached him.

Not winning the Champions League with a team of Bayern’s prowess is probably the only thing Guardiola could lament in his otherwise illustrious tenure with the Bavarians (although he reached the semifinals on all three occasions only to be knocked out by Real Madrid, Barcelona and Atletico Madrid).

#5 Relationships with players and focus on youth

The current Manchester City squad boasts of young, world-class talent

One need not look any further than the current Manchester City squad to get an insight into the focus Guardiola puts on his young guns. Ever since he took over at the Etihad outfit, Pep has brought in talented youngsters such as Gabriel Jesus, Leroy Sane, John Stones and Kyle Walker.

It doesn’t just end here. The City franchise has made healthy investments to buy out La Liga outfit Girona as a second-fiddle club to Manchester City, so as to facilitate the smooth transition of young players between Spain and England, either on loans or on permanent contracts.

It's evident that Pep regards young talent very highly and believes in instilling his footballing philosophies into them at a very young age; so that they learn not just for success in one or two seasons, but rather to perform in a way to inspire generations to come.

Pep is not just a manager on the field, but off of it too.