'%20x='0'%20y='0'%20height='100%25'%20width='100%25'%20%0A%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20%20xlink%3Ahref='data:image/jpg;base64,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'%3E%3C/image%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Arsene Wenger vs Pep Guardiola is always a managerial battle that will get the purists of the game licking their lips in anticipation. Being two managers who are all about possession-based fluid football, entertainment is guaranteed when Pep and Wenger meet.
With Guardiola taking charge of Manchester City this season, Arsene Wenger’s aim of landing his first EPL title since 2004 might just have become all the more difficult.
Guardiola has faced off with Wenger’s Arsenal on multiple occasions, all of which were in Europe, during his spells with Barcelona and Bayern Munich and is set to rekindle the rivalry with Man City. While their playing styles are similar, their graph has taken 2 different routes.
After his initial success in England, where he rose to prominence as the main rival of Sir Alex Ferguson in the early 21st century, Wenger saw himself hamstrung by Arsenal’s move to a new stadium and the subsequent cash shortage the club faced. But he managed to get Arsenal to qualify for the Champions League in every season though the domestic title (also the European one) eluded him.
Pep, on the other hand, conquered the world with the Barcelona team he built, playing the mesmerising tiki-taka, that was the envy of the footballing world. He left the club after a glorious 4 year period between 2008 and 2012 where they won literally everything including 2 Champions League titles.
Though his Bayern tenure was less successful in terms of European glory, he still won the Bundesliga three times in a row.
In between all this, the pair met 8 times. The first time Wenger played Guardiola was in 2010 in the quarterfinals of the Champions League. Arsenal earned a 2-2 draw at Emirates in the first leg but were blown away by Lionel Messi’s 4 goal-show in Nou Camp in the 2nd leg.
They would meet again the next year in the Round of 16. This time, Arsene got his first win against Pep but was unable to prevent Pep marching on over 2 legs. Pep’s Bayern and Wenger would also play each other 4 more times.
Arsene Wenger has done well to build himself a quality squad despite the constraints and has shown a willingness to bring in big names, unlike 3-4 years back. Guardiola has the unending wealth of Manchester City behind them and we should see a mesmerising battle in EPL when these 2 stalwarts try to outwit each other.
Head-to-Head stats:-
| Total Meetings | 8 |
| Pep Guardiola Wins | 4 |
| Draws | 2 |
| Arsene Wenger Wins | 2 |
