#3 Pep Guardiola’s Real Madrid debacle
Moving aside from the transfer-related stuff, we come to a moment that the perfectionist Guardiola himself has admitted to being his worst mistake ever.
The current Manchester City manager has achieved in seven years what most managers cannot achieve in their entire careers. But, his CV would have been even better if not for this costly mistake that eventually ensured he would leave Bayern Munich without a Champions League trophy.
“I got it wrong man. I got it totally wrong. It’s a monumental f***-up. A total mess. The biggest f***-up of my life as a coach.”
The first leg of the Champions League semi-final in the 13-14 season at the Santiago Bernabeu saw Bayern Munich dominate possession but a Karim Benzema goal made them lose the game. Termed unlucky, the return leg at the Allianz Arena was expected to be a Bayern win but what followed is now in the history books due to its shocking nature.
Before the return leg, Pep’s overthinking cost his team dearly. He had devised a three-man defence system to play in the second leg to make sure they thwart Real’s counter attacks. However, a few days before the match, he thought a 4-2-3-1 would be more successful. Hours before the match, Pep changed his mind again and put forward a 4-4-2 extremely attacking system.
This turned out be a complete disaster as the Bayern players seemed as unsure as their coach. They were left stranded during counters and set pieces and the team looked nothing like they had the entire season in the league. Real Madrid won 4-0 at the Allianz thanks to braces from Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo, and Pep was in shock. His failure to win the CL at one of the biggest clubs in the world would still be haunting him.
