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Pep Guardiola is the most successful manager of the 21st century, with a mammoth tally of 31 titles across three of Europe's elite clubs. The 50-year old boasts a stellar resume that includes two Champions League titles, three Bundesliga and as many La Liga trophies, and three Premier League titles, among other domestic and continental honours.
Guardiola scripted history in his four-year spell at Barcelona, leading the Blaugrana to an unprecedented sextuple of Champions League, La Liga, Copa Del Rey, FIFA Club World Cup, UEFA SuperCup and Supercopa de Espana in 2009. The former Barcelona player also went on to enjoy success in his subsequent two assignments at Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
While the likes of Lionel Messi, Pedro and Sergio Busquets excelled under the Spaniard, a few others have struggled to make an impact under Pep Guardiola's tutelage. Without further ado, let's take a look at five such players.
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#5 Joe Hart
Manchester City legend Joe Hart was a crucial element in his team's 2011-12 Premier League glory, which was City's first league title since 1968.
Hart's tally of 17 clean sheets that season earned him the Golden Glove award. He went on to win one more Premier League trophy before Pep Guardiola's arrival. The 34-year old's last trophy with City was the 2015-16 League Cup, after which Guardiola took over the reins from Manuel Pellegrini.
After making 347 appearances in a decade at the club, Joe Hart managed to play just one solitary game under Guardiola. The former England No.1 was immediately relegated to the bench on the Spaniard's arrival, with Guardiola signing Claudio Bravo from Barcelona to play the role of a 'sweeper keeper'.
During Pep Guardiola's first transfer window as Manchester City manager, there was a flurry of arrivals at the Etihad as most of Pellegrini's squad was cleared out.
Joe Hart was sent out on a loan spell to Torino, followed by a move to West Ham, before he was permanently sold to Burnley after spending over 14 years at City. That dealt a massive blow to the Englishman's confidence, as he lost his place in the national side after his exile from the Etihad.
#4 Benjamin Mendy
Pep Guardiola's arrival at the helm of Manchester City led to a massive spending spree, with over £300 million spent on defenders alone.
Benjamin Mendy was one of three full-backs signed by City in the 2017 summer transfer window. But the Frenchman was plagued by injuries, making only 23 appearances in his first two seasons at the club, as a knee ligament injury and subsequent surgery kept him out for the better part of two years.
Following his return from injury, Mendy made 30 appearances in the 2019-20 season but failed to impress Pep Guardiola for a sustained run in the playing XI.
Oleksandr Zinchenko was signed in 2016 as a young prospect and was promoted to CIty's star-studded lineup after an impressive loan spell at PSV Eindhoven. Mendy has made just 20 appearances this season, as Zinchenko has effectively become the Cityzens' first-choice left-back under Pep Guardiola.
#3 Yaya Toure
Yaya Toure, the Ivory Coast international, has been one of the Premier League's finest midfielders over the past decade; he has racked up 129 goal involvements (79 goals, 50 assists) in 316 appearances for the Cityzens.
However, Toure does not have too many fond memories of playing under Pep Guardiola, as the duo clashed on two different occasions. Guardiola's appointment as the Barcelona manager in 2008 led to a trophy-laden spell for the Blaugrana, but Toure's time at Camp Nou was cut short.
After his arrival at Barcelona in 2007, the four-time African Footballer of the Year managed to survive only two years under Pep Guardiola before being replaced by a young Sergio Busquets in the playing XI.
Toure's next destination was the Etihad, where he firmly established himself in Manchester City's Hall of Fame, playing a starring role in City's two Premier League wins in three years. However, Pep Guardiola's arrival at the Etihad led to a repeat of the same script, as the City legend struggled for minutes.
A public spat between Yaya Toure's agent, Dimitri Seluk, and Pep Guardiola ensued, after which the Spaniard sacked Toure from City's squad.
After Toure issued a public apology on behalf of his agent, Guardiola reinstated the Champions League winner in City's lineup. But Toure made only 48 appearances in two seasons under Guardiola before leaving the Etihad after a memorable eight-season stint at the club.
#2 Mario Gotze
Mario Gotze was regarded as one of the biggest names in world football after his winner in the 2014 FIFA World Cup final helped him etch his name in German footballing folklore.
Gotze was also an integral part of Borussia Dortmund's juggernaut that halted Bayern Munich's dominance in German domestic football. Dortmund are the only club other than Bayern Munich to have won the Bundesliga in the past decade.
The likes of Gotze, Robert Lewandowski and Marco Reus formed the crux of the Black and Yellows. After a successful spell at Signal Iduna Park, Gotze joined forces with Pep Guardiola at Bayern Munich.
The German had a fairy-tale start to life at the Allianz Arena, notching up 19 goal involvements (ten goals, nine assists) in 27 Bundesliga appearances in his debut season. Despite frequent injury spells restricting him to the sidelines, Gotze produced a return of 36 goals and 24 assists in 114 appearances for the German champions during his three-season stint in Bavaria.
Pep Guardiola drifted away from using an attacking midfielder/ false nine, as he did with Lionel Messi at Barcelona, instead choosing to employ a traditional striker in the form of Robert Lewandowski. This tactical approach led to Gotze spending more time on the bench; coupled with his injuries and a severe metabolic illness, the German became a pale shadow of his former self.
The now-28-year-old is currently plying his trade at PSV Eindhoven. He has seemingly rediscovered some of his old form, notching up six goals and seven assists in 25 appearances for the Dutch club.
#1 Zlatan Ibrahimovic
Mercurial Swede Zlatan Ibrahimovich is one of the modern greats in world football, winning an impressive tally of 32 titles in some of Europe's top leagues.
Ibrahimovic made a move to Camp Nou after an immensely successful three-year spell with Inter Milan. He made a stunning start to life at Barcelona, scoring seven goals in his first seven La Liga appearances.
However, while Mario Gotze was dropped from the Bayern lineup due to Guardiola's use of a traditional striker, the Spaniard displaced Ibrahimovich from his preferred position to field a then 22-year-old Messi in a central role. That caused an immediate dip in Ibrahimovich's fine goal-scoring form.
Despite playing in an unfamiliar wide position, the Swede still managed a decent return of 16 goals and eight assists in 29 appearances in the 2009-10 La Liga season.
However, the prolific Swede's relationship with Pep Guardiola apparently deteriorated beyond repair, and he moved back to Italy the following season.
Ibrahimovich later revealed the reasons for the departure from Barcelona in his autobiography, saying:
"It started well, but then Messi started to talk. He wanted to play in the middle, not on the wing, so the system changed from 4-3-3 to 4-5-1. I was sacrificed, and I no longer had the freedom on the pitch I needed to succeed."
