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Pep Guardiola is unquestionably one of the greatest managers of the modern era. His career has seen him lead teams that play an ubercool style of attacking football, setting the bar for the modern technical game.
With 31 trophies and counting, his spells in Spain, Germany and England have seen him coach bonafide superclubs and excel. Despite what seems like a career constantly in search of perfection, he has, on occasion, let his ability and tactical acumen affect his success as a manager.
With that in mind, here's a look at the five biggest mistakes of Pep Guardiola's managerial career:
#5 Pep Guardiola's defense budget
Guardiola is notoriously demanding to work with when it comes to footballers of high technical ability. His basic philosophy of football requires players of great talent to play out from the back and defend on the counterattack. At Barcelona, Carles Puyol, Gerard Pique, Dani Alves and Eric Abidal all contributed to the team's attack, providing able defensive ability while playing a high line.
Signing Ruben Dias in 2020 for over €68m means Guardiola has spent an astonishing €500m during his five-year spell at Manchester City. That includes bringing in the likes of John Stones, Kyle Walker, Danilo, Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake and Benjamin Mendy for huge sums of money.
Many have criticized Pep for his apparent inability to "coach" a player into a great defender, as well as his fickle approach to transferring players in and out.
#4 Pep Guardiola's signing of Cesc Fabregas
Cesc Fabregas was by far one of the most gifted technical players of his generation and another product of La Masia. During his time at Arsenal, he flourished as a roaming playmaker, making his debut aged just 16, before evolving into an attacking midfielder. At Euro 2012, he even led the line as a "False Nine" for Spain as they won the tournament.
What was seen by many as a perfect reunion at Barcelona, however, did not pan out. At the outset, the intensity and combination play seemed to unsettle Fabregas. He was used to being the focal creative presence for Arsenal and playing a more direct style. Nevertheless, the heir to Xavi and Andres Iniesta left after an impressive three seasons, staying beyond Guardiola's reign. He then proceeded to play some of his best football at Chelsea.
#3 Pep Guardiola's man-management
Guardiola's biggest criticism comes from his management of star players and squad fringe players. His idea of every footballer on the pitch being a chess piece on the board has often affected and objectified players. At times, the 50-year-old's commitment to, and obsessiveness over the tactical side of play has seen him struggle to win his players' loyalties.
At Barcelona, despite winning the respect of several La Masia legends such as Leo Messi and Andrea Iniesta, the likes of Samuel Eto'o, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Yaya Toure have all publicly voiced their dissatisfaction with Pep's coaching methods. Even Joe Hart and Claudio Bravo, players transfer-listed by Guardiola, felt betrayed by his man-management style of saving his affection for his star players.
#2 Pep Guardiola's Bayern blushes
At Bayern Munich, Guardiola reached a new peak in his tactical evolution and commitment to attacking football. He romped to the Bundesliga title during every season of his reign but failed to deliver the much-demanded Champions League crown.
In the 2013-14 season, tactical uncertainty got Bayern ripped apart in a 4-0 against Real Madrid, with braces from both Sergio Ramos and Cristiano Ronaldo.
Likewise, in 2014-15, Die Roten started off with a back three, leaving the likes of Luis Suarez, Neymar Jr and Lionel Messi one-on-one against Barcelona's centre-backs. Aiming for a utopian tactical blueprint, it ended up costing them the game.
A club that was already at the peak of its powers and expected to dominate European football, Bayern constantly floundered before the finals. It left many to rate Guardiola's spell there as a failure.
#1 2021 Champions League final
The recently concluded Champions League season will remain one of Pep Guardiola's biggest ever regrets. For the first time in over a decade, he found himself at the final hurdle of European competition only to lose spectacularly to a well-drilled Chelsea under Thomas Tuchel.
Many critics feel Guardiola made a huge error by picking neither Fernandinho nor Rodri in an attacking lineup. With no holding midfielder to break up play, Chelsea ran rampant to emerge as 1-0 victors on the night.
The constant threat of Timo Werner and Kai Havertz completely unsettled the Manchester City backline, with the world viewing the game as a failed tactical masterplan.
This has been a constant theme of Manchester City's European campaign. Against bigger opponents in the knockout rounds of the Champions League, Guardiola has developed a reputation for overthinking and jeopardizing his own chances. Like he has against Lyon, Tottenham Hotspur and AS Monaco over the years at Manchester City.
