Now at Manchester City following a very successful spell at Bayern Munich, Pep Guardiola is seen as taking the biggest challenge of his career to this day.
Trying to impose his brand of football in the Premier League could take some time, but while he may not get the immediate success he had at Barcelona and in Germany, players will follow him to the end.
This is, at least, what Bayern Munich and Austria star David Alaba had to say about the Spanish manager in an interview with France Football on Tuesday, as he explained what Guardiola helped him achieve during his Bundesliga stint.
He said: “He’s the coach with whom I learnt the most about tactics. I played in schemes I didn’t even know about before he arrived. Thanks to Pep, I realised that I could perform in different positions. I became flexible, and he knew how to be convincing.
“He always explained the why and the how. No one ever complained to have to play in a new role. Anyway, a player who works with Guardiola has to know he will broaden his horizons and become a better player.”
With many players expected to leave the Etihad in the summer to make way for better and probably more flexible players, it will be very interesting to see if the former Barcelona manager plays any of the current City players out of position.
After all, he did make Philip Lahm one of the best defensive midfielders in the world…
