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Football fans always weigh possibilities and imagine multiple scenarios of the same situation or change the situation altogether. We are a bunch of people who spend most of our time in a world of imagination.
The world of football is such that there is often a lot of ambiguity that surrounds any news and rumours fly about unchecked. Most of this contributes to sending football fans into overdrive thinking of hypothetical situations involving a lot of ifs and whens.
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What could have been if this player played for this club? What would happen if this club was bought by oil-rich tycoons? These are the type of things that find shelter in our minds.
One such thought is: what would have happened if certain managers swapped clubs? We take a shot at 5 cases.
Jose Mourinho & Pep Guardiola
Just imagine. You wouldn’t be able to find two managers whose philosophies are as different as these two. While Guardiola has an obsession for fluid possession football, Mourinho believes in rearguard strength as a base for counter-attacking football.
So what would have happened if they swapped?
Bayern Munich would automatically become the most hated club in the world because of Mourinho’s us-against-the-world mentality. Their footballing approach would become more like the old-school Bayern than the possession-based team that they are now.
Also, the Bundesliga, in general, would become more interesting with the Portuguese’s dynamic press conference rants if, God forbid, a referee makes a mishap against his team.
However, with Bayern’s huge dominance in the league, it would be very likely that at some point, the former Real Madrid manager would start sending his assistant manager in front of the press.
On the other hand, if Pep Guardiola joined Chelsea, the first season would be spent in totally changing the players’ football mentality and how it should be played. At training, defenders would be played as strikers, strikers as midfielders and midfielders as defenders in order to make the players complete.
In fact, we might see Diego Costa play in central midfield because of his ruffian approach to the game and Nemanja Matic would become the first choice central defender because he would be the ideal man to start moves from the deepest line.
Basically, Chelsea would be fun to watch. The clueless looks on the players’ faces for the first few weeks would be an apt replacement for the lack of good comedy movies these days.
Arsene Wenger and Carlo Ancelotti
This would be an interesting swap. Arsene Wenger has failed to win the league for over a decade now and the Champions League has never touched his palms. Ancelotti, however, has won the Holy Grail of club football two times as a manager, but his league record is just as bad as the Frenchman.
If Arsene Wenger joined Real Madrid, he would be sacked the very next season due to his inability to deliver trophies instantly. While there is no doubt that his arrival would benefit the Blancos in the long-term, there is, however, no chance he would be given the time he has been at Arsenal.
The playing style of Real Madrid would probably stay the same, with just a slight increase in possession. The best thing, though, would be the emphasis on the youth academy. Real’s academy is renowned for producing talents and Wenger is certainly the man who could groom some of them to stardom.
Oh, and given the way some fans at the Bernabeu are, Wenger will be booed. A lot.
Whereas, if Carlo Ancelotti becomes the gaffer at Arsenal, the Gunners will have someone who can raise the competitive attitude among the players, like his own eyebrow. The playing style would remain the same because the Italian is a very flexible manager and likes to make slight tweaks rather than wholesale changes that border on egoism.
Ancelotti would also address the issue which should have been addressed a long time ago: a defensive midfielder. With more freedom in England than at Real Madrid, the former Milan boss would buy himself a world class holding midfielder and bring joy to the fans like the sight of a bone brings to a dog.
Massimiliano Allegri & Jurgen Klopp
The chances of Floyd Mayweather actually boxing instead of running in a boxing match are more than the chances of this happening. However, like we mentioned before, we like to imagine scenarios that please our minds. There couldn’t be a more elaborate description of personality difference like the one these two have.
The best example here would be that Allegri is like Kristen Stewart in Twilight – an emotionless face – when compared to Jurgen Klopp, who is more expressive than Jim Carrey.
When a goal is scored, Jurgen Klopp’s passionate nature makes him let go of all shyness and he plunges into animatic world of his own. Allegri, on the other hand, stays as calm as a Shaolin monk and only at very certain moments does he give way to celebrations.
With what we have seen of the former Milan boss this season, he wouldn’t bring much change to Dortmund, but would rather enhance the team and build on the good work of Jurgen Klopp.
He would also tighten things at the back, which has been the main cause of the Ruhr club’s sudden fall from grace – most Italian managers are great at that and Allegri is one of them. Also, more Italian players would find their way into the Bundesliga with Allegri on board.
The German, however, would turn Juventus into a machine gun with his direct approach and enthralling brand of ruthlessness. The transformation of Juventus under him would bring something new to Italian football altogether – something that other Italian teams would love to take inspiration from. Serie A, as a whole, would become more quick-paced than ever before.
Also, we will see more photobombing incidents in Italian football with the outgoing Dortmund boss on board.
Luis Enrique & Brendan Rodgers
This one would be absurd, but might just work. Luis Enrique’s record before joining Barcelona was not-so-great to say the least. He had had spells with Roma and Celta and did nothing out of the ordinary with these two teams. But now with Barcelona, he has already won the League and is just two games way from winning a treble.
The same could also be said for Brendan Rodgers. After making Swansea a formidable mid-table team, while playing some very attractive brand of football, he joined Liverpool and shot them into the Champions League by the end of his first season.
No-one expected Enrique to take Barca to the heights they are at now. And no one expects Brendan Rodgers to do the same as well with the Catalans. But if they really swapped, the guarantee is that there would be little to no progress for both the clubs.
One might argue that Enrique could take the Reds to the next level, but the last time he was managing a Champions League aspiring club, he failed to take them to the said next level. He, however, with good support from the board in the transfer market, can make Liverpool more of a possession-based team than ever before.
Luis Enrique has also shown his ability at keeping his best players fresh for the crunch part of the season, by rotating early in the season, and the same would also happen at Liverpool.
If Rodgers was hired by Barcelona, the language barrier would be the first problem. However, it is almost certain that Rodgers won’t change a thing at the Camp Nou – except hang a huge portrait of himself on the wall of the dressing room – and just swim with the tide like any wise person would.
Or, the maximum he would do would be sign some average British players and try to fit them on the bench of Camp Nou
Louis van Gaal & Laurent Blanc
Another instance where the two managers are highly diverse from each other. Louis van Gaal is hailed as a visionary, someone who isn’t afraid to take bold decisions and definitely doesn’t like playing it safe. He is also ruthlessly outspoken and has a temper at the receiving end of which none would like to be.
Laurent Blanc, however, is as cool as a cucumber. If Zlatan Ibrahimovic happened to kung-fu kick him, he would smile back at the forward and still play him in the very next game. Blanc also isn’t someone who is known for tinkering around much with his system.
The first thing of interest with the Dutchman at the French club would be his treatment of Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Van Gaal is someone who is known to have a commander type approach towards his players and doesn’t appreciate someone who doesn’t listen to him. And the Swede is someone who hates it when someone barks orders at him.
It wouldn’t be surprising if the star forward was sold as soon as the current United manager landed in France. However, it also wouldn’t be surprising if the former Bayern boss became the circus trainer that could tame the fierce lion. One thing is certain though, PSG’s performance in the Champions League would improve under him.
For Blanc, managing United would be like managing home. He was astute as a player for the Red Devils and has a good idea about the club already. With the French Ligue 1 being a one-team league, Blanc has had it quite easy there – which won’t be the case in the Premier League with the likes of City, Chelsea and Arsenal on board.
However, the Frenchman has the calmness and composure to succeed in the Premier League, but the only thing he lacks is the authoritarian approach – which could prove to be a great asset managing a team like United.
