While Twitter and much of the footballing world has been quick to troll Pep Guardiola after Manchester City’s 4 – 0 loss to Everton was established as the biggest ever of his league managerial career, it is important to remember that even the best of the best have off days sometimes. Whether it’s the occasion getting on the players’ nerves or just a bad day at the office, all legendary managers have gone through similar rough patches in their career.
Here we’ve put together a list of five who would perhaps do well to call Guardiola and cheer him up – well maybe not all five – with tales of how they bounced back from the heaviest defeats of their own careers.
#5 Jurgen Klopp: FSV Mainz 1 – 6 Werder Bremen
The current Liverpool manager who shot into the global gaze with Borussia Dortmund is known for his attacking football and his team’s dedication to applying pressure on the opponent when his team concedes possession. These didn’t quite come together so well for him in the Bundesliga season of 2006/07 when a Werder Bremen attack led by Miroslav Klose managed to put six goals into Mainz’s net with only Azaouagh’s free kick in reply earning them a consolation.
Mainz would suffer a couple more 4-0 defeats in the season, to Schalke and Bayern Munich, but their loss to Werder Bremen remains the heaviest defeat of Klopp’s managerial career. Since his move to Dortmund though, Klopp has only lost one game by a 4-goal margin – a 5-1 defeat to Bayern Munich.
#4 Carlo Ancelotti: Real Madrid 0-4 Atletico Madrid
The three-time Champions League winner is one of the most travelled and well-respected managers in the world of football, having won league trophies in England, France and Italy in addition to a number of cup competitions. However, one place he failed to win the league was Spain, where he managed Real Madrid from 2013 to 2015 with a solitary Copa Del Rey added to the trophy cabinet in terms of domestic success.
Rubbing salt into his wound in the latter of the two seasons were cross-town rivals and reigning champions Atletico Madrid who beat them 4-0 in February 2015 at the Vicente Calderon - prompting Ancelotti to say it was the worst result of his career. And it really stung when Real lost the title race to Barcelona by just 2 points.
It was actually the fifth time Ancelotti had lost a game 4-0 in his career, thrice with AC Milan and once with Juventus, but perhaps the most disappointing of all would have been the Champions League final of 2005 where Milan blew a 3-0 lead at half-time against Liverpool.
#3) Jose Mourinho: Real Madrid 0 – 5 Barcelona
Manchester United fans mocking Guardiola after City’s loss to Everton might want to skip this one as the current United boss’ biggest defeat came against arch rival Guardiola during his first season in charge of Real Madrid. Having been a treble winner at Inter Milan and undefeated in charge of Madrid, Mourinho’s first Clasico would be his worst with a David Villa brace – along with goals from Xavi, Pedro and Jeffren – sending his side a shock they never recovered from in the title race.
Over the coming years, Mourinho has adapted better to taking on Guardiola but his spell at Manchester United brought him face to face with Antonio Conte – in charge of Mourinho’s former club Chelsea – who inflicted a 4-0 defeat that’s the second worst of his career.
#2 Arsene Wenger: Arsenal 2 – 8 Manchester United
As many many complaints go, Arsene Wenger isn’t quite the calibre of manager that he used to be in his early days at Arsenal and the fact that two of his biggest defeats of all time have come in the last few years would only add to those. There are few Premier League fans that wouldn’t remember this shocking scoreline where a hat-trick from Wayne Rooney was accompanied by perhaps Ashley Young’s finest performance in a United shirt to give United an early morale boost in the 2011/12 season.
Even more recently, in the 2013/14 Premier League season, Wenger would suffer another 6-goal defeat as Jose Mourinho’s Chelsea would run out 6-0 winners in his 1000th game in charge of the Gunners. An entirely anti-climactic performance from the Frenchman’s charges with Gibbs sent off early in the 15th minute.
#1 Sir Alex Ferguson: Manchester United 1-6 Manchester City
In the same season that his Manchester United side beat Arsenal 8 – 2, Sir Alex would see his side lose to the ‘noisy neighbours’ 6-1 and ultimately lose out to them in the title race on goal difference. It was perhaps one of Mario Balotelli’s happiest days as a City player with his early brace seeing the visitors holding a 3 – 1 lead until the 89th minute after which City would go on to add 3 more goals.
Sir Alex would say after the match that it was his “worst ever day” at the club although he did suffer a couple more 5-goal defeats – to Chelsea and Newcastle United back in ‘99 and ‘96 respectively. In the season of 96/97 though, Sir Alex would have the last laugh – finishing above Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle to claim the Premier League title.
