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Managers are only as good as their players, they say. Well, it's a contentious claim that Pep Guardiola would rather have a pass at than break his head over. It is well known that the Spaniard has been fortunate to work at some of Europe's biggest clubs as a manager.
An obvious bonus of that, apart from lofty wages, is the squad you inherit and the luxury you have to build one with minimum financial restrictions. The winning DNA has been present in Pep Guardiola's teams most of the time and his thoughtful recruitment has only added to it.
Pep Guardiola coached some of the great legends of 21st century
There are no surprises in the fact that he is usually drawn to midfielders of great quality and doesn't shy away from raving about them. Xavi, Andres Iniesta and Xabi Alonso, among many others, have been equally thrilled to work under Pep Guardiola.
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However, the Spaniard has worked with some of the greatest defenders of the 21st century since beginning his career. Sure, one loves the way a Pep Guardiola team scores, the fluidic nature of their transition and ball progression. But all of that is possible because they rely on a rugged, well-disciplined rearguard. On that note, here is a look at five of the greatest defenders that Pep Guardiola has had under his wing:
#5 Gerard Piqué
Gerard Pique has been an excellent servant for his boyhood club Barcelona. He is looked upon as a true role model by anyone dreaming of playing for the club. Pique truly understands the value of wearing the Barcelona jersey and never fails to express his pride through actions on the pitch.
Pep Guardiola was promoted as the manager of the first team after being in charge of Barcelona B for one year. In 2008, he was one of the reasons for Pique's return to the Catalan club after a four-year spell with Manchester United. The defender has spoken about his time with his former boss and explained how Pep Guardiola stressed on perfection in training.
Pique has been a witness to Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola's intense rivalry at the turn of the decade around 2010 when the former managed Real Madrid. The defender's relationship with his manager took a turn for the worse when he started dating popstar Shakira in 2011.
However, this did not affect Pique's career on the pitch. He won three La Liga titles and two Champions League trophies under the Spanish tactician. Pique has made a grand total of 578 appearances for Barcelona in all competitions so far.
#4 Eric Abidal
A year ago, Barcelona's sporting secretary and former player Eric Abidal resigned from his position. Abidal's exit after a flop spell by manager Quique Setien left Barca fans with hard feelings and unpleasant vibes against the Frenchman. But one should not let their recency bias make them forget the passion and grit of Abidal as a Barcelona player.
The defender arrived in 2007, a year before Pep Guardiola took over the job, and outlasted the boss at the club by a year. Abidal was considered among the most visionary defenders of his time and was ruthless while tackling. He admired and praised what the new manager was doing with the team, on the pitch and behind the scenes.
According to the Frenchman, Pep Guardiola was a brilliant tactician and his instructions to the defense had helped them predict the flow of the game multiple times. Abidal gave all the credit to the Spanish manager for their win against Manchester United in the 2011 Champions League final.
Their relationship did not exactly start on the sweetest note. Guardiola's orders to speak only in Spanish most times when present at club facilities did not go down well with the Frenchman.
Pep Guardiola also tweaked Abidal's role and asked the adventurous ball-playing defender to stay at the back and stabilize defense contrary to his habit of charging down the flanks. Eventually, the duo gelled up nicely and helped the club win nine domestic titles in addition to two Champions League titles.
#3 Philipp Lahm
Pep Guardiola has coached some of the most technically astute and gifted players in his managerial career. But there were only a few who were in the same bracket as Germany's iconic right-back Philipp Lahm. His ability to read the game was magical and that is a strong enough reason why the two bonded beautifully.
The defender could have linked up with the Spaniard earlier than they did, with rumors suggesting Lahm could have left for Manchester United or Barcelona in 2008. Lahm and Arjen Robben wreaked havoc on the right flank under Pep Guardiola. Their positional sense and awareness of backing each other was top quality.
The Germany international captained Bayern Munich to their treble-winning season, which consisted of a Champions League, Bundesliga title and DFB-Pokal in 2013. It was after this that Pep Guardiola took over. However, his three-year spell ended with no Champions League title, but two Bundesliga and two DFB-Pokals.
When the World Cup winner retired in 2017, Pep Guardiola expressed his admiration for Lahm. The right-back was known for his kind nature off the pitch as he helped his Spanish boss settle with the German giants.
The Spanish boss referred to him once as the most intelligent player he had ever coached. Pep Guardiola utilized Lahm in the midfield role as well, and that added another dimension to the versatile player's game. The defender ended his career with a grand total of 22 trophies.
#2 Dani Alves
The most decorated footballer in the history of the game had to play for Pep Guardiola, it would have seemed very odd otherwise. Dani Alves has no end to his winning streak and keeps on adding medals and trophies to his name. The 38-year old went with the Brazil squad to the Tokyo Olympics and added the 43rd title of his career.
The Brazilian right-back was one of the first signings made by Pep Guardiola at Barcelona in 2008. The player's performances with his former team Sevilla cleared all the doubts there were regarding his recruitment. Alves was phenomenal going forward and would easily make the cut for one of the best fullbacks of all-time in the game.
Under Pep Guardiola's reign, the Brazilian was allowed the freedom to join in the attacking third. His stats speak for the effectiveness of his attacking game. In four seasons under the Spaniard, Alves scored 12 goals in La Liga and provided 49 assists for Barcelona.
In total, the Brazilian made 391 appearances for Barcelona and provided an abundant 101 assists. He cheerfully remarked in a documentary made on Pep Guardiola's Barca, called, "Take the ball, pass the ball" that playing under the Spanish manager was "better than sex". Never change Dani, ever!
#1 Carles Puyol
Was there ever any doubt about this? Captain fantastic Carles Puyol tops the list of five greatest defenders to play under Pep Guardiola. The boss, who was himself the captain of the Barcelona side for four years starting in 1997, waxed lyricals of Puyol's immaculate leadership.
The Spaniard captained the team for almost a decade, the longest serving Barca captain ever since 2004. Under his leadership, Barca's defense, which consisted of the likes of Abidal and Dani Alves, was as tight as ever. The captain had a contagious winning attitude that gave character to his Barcelona side.
Puyol had been a teammate of Pep Guardiola around the turn of the century. As such, their chemistry was supremely effective on the pitch for Barcelona as coach and captain. One of the biggest highlights of the Catalan defender will be his performances with the Spanish team in the 2010 World Cup triumph.
The team conceded only two goals in the whole tournament and Puyol delivered a masterclass in defending one game after the other. He was a larger than life figure and he proved it with a class act in 2011 after Barcelona won their second Champions League under Pep Guardiola.
Puyol, who was himself brought in as the substitute towards the dying minutes of the game, gave his armbad to Eric Abidal. This ensured that the trophy first graced the hands of Abidal. The Frenchman had just recovered from a liver tumor and this was a fantastic gesture from the captain. In his illustrious career Puyol has won 25 trophies in total of which 14 came during Pep Guardiola's reign.
