When Will Pep Leave?
It’s fair to say that Pep has everything he wants at City: the best squad in the world, the best academy and training facilities, and the funds for big signings. He has settled at a club with no internal politics, a CEO and Director of Football who are essentially his mates, a far-sighted and unflappable chairman, and owners who are in it for the long-term.
The pay’s not too shabby, either. Free meals too.
In fact, it would be pretty bizarre if he ever chose to manage anyone else. Except England of course. He’d love to work for those distinguished FA officals coaching other people’s players.
At 52 he’s currently the sixth oldest manager in the Premier League. But if Roy Hodgson has still got it at 76, I’m sure Pep would be capable of similar levels of enthusiasm come 2047. Particularly as bionic upgrades would be an option by then. And sex robots, but I’m getting off the point now.
So is it possible to predict when he might call it a day?
I believe Marti Perarnau’s 2014 book Pep Confidential might provide useful insights on the subject.
In October 2012 Guardiola was living in New York, a few months into his sabbatical from football. According to Perarnau, his time at Barcelona ‘had left him drained and exhausted. Increasingly dispirited, he had decided to leave Barca before the damage became irreparable.’
In New York, Pep became friends with former world chess champion Garry Kasparov, who was something of a hero to him. Perarnau writes,
‘Kasparov embodies the qualities Pep prizes above all others: resilience, intelligence, dedication, persistence, inner strength and a healthy streak of rebelliousness. It had therefore been an absolute delight to meet up over a meal or two. So far the conversation had covered a range of topics from economics and technology to, inevitably, sport and competition.’
But then it got a little bad-tempered.
Taking a last bite of salad, Garry Kasparov shook his head and muttered irritably: 'Impossible!"
For the third time that night he had tried to fend off Pep Guardiola's relentless questioning. The Catalan was determined to understand why Kasparov would not even consider the idea of competing against the young maestro, Magnus Carlsen, the world's most promising chess player.
But Pep doesn't understand the word 'impossible'.
A change in tactic was in order and Guardiola decided to wait for another opportunity to explore the reasons for Kasparov's stubbornness—not out of idle curiosity but because he sensed that, somewhere within, lay an answer to a key question for Guardiola: Why had he been so worn out by Barca? And, above all, how could he avoid repeating the same mistake in the future?
This is why Kasparov's response had become so important to him. This is why Pep had to decipher the enigma.
According to Perarnau, Pep is a man who ‘questions everything’. And the reason is his search for perfection.
Although he recognises it as an impossible goal, it is nonetheless the force that drives him. As a result, he is often left with an abiding sense of unfinished work.
And that, I believe, is the key to the question of how long he will stay at City. I suspect that Pep will only call it a day once he is unable to find a way of improving his team.
Which is a scary thought for other clubs.
If Pep is still here in another seven years, the mind boggles at what levels he will have taken City to in his search for footballing perfection.
On Saturday I’ll be posting a piece about City’s 1934 FA Cup homecoming, an event full of historical firsts.
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