There’s no hiding place for managers when things aren’t going to plan and even the very best in the business can find themselves under question.
With Manchester City currently third in the Premier League and a huge 14 points behind leaders Liverpool, the spotlight has turned to Pep Guardiola.
He’s not received much doubt from the media, yet some of the club’s fanbase seem annoyed the problems in defence weren’t predicted and dealt with in advance.
Should Guardiola manage to win Manchester City’s first Champions League then domestic problems won’t seem like such an issue, and the club have been drawn against Real Madrid in the first knockout stage of the competition.
This match is likely to be huge news in Spain given Guardiola’s rivalry with Madrid from his time in charge of Barcelona.
Present at the draw, Txiki Begiristain has been speaking to the media and Mundo Deportivo quote him as showing some support for Pep: “A duel between the best coach in the world, Pep Guardiola, and Real Madrid is always interesting. Madrid started with doubts but things have got better to this point.”
Real Madrid are second in La Liga, behind leaders Barcelona on goal difference, with El Clasico set to be played this week.
Begiristain added about City’s Champions League opponents: “It will be a huge duel. In the end we play against a big one. We go to a stadium that we know perfectly and we know what it means.”
The City official said he’d rather save the hardest matches for the end of the competition, but doesn’t seem too disappointed.
