Pep: I wasn’t good enough for Wigan
PEP GUARDIOLA will finally get to know what Wigan is like tonight, 12 years after he turned them down as a player because he did not think he was good enough.
Former Wigan boss Paul Jewell approached Guardiola as his playing career at Barcelona wound down, hoping to get the last drop out of such a gifted midfielder.
“They tried to sign me, but I was not good enough. That is the truth,” said Guardiola.
“They were interested in me, and so were Manchester City when Stuart Pearce was manager. But I was old, really old, as a football player to come here to England and it didn’t happen.
“They were so clever by not signing me because I was not good enough.”
Jewell recalls that when he spoke to Guardiola he was hugely impressed by his knowledge of Wigan.
“I got a call from Guardiola’s agent and he gave me Pep’s number so I rang him and left a message,” said Jewell. “Quite remarkably, five minutes later he rang me back. He knew all about Wigan, all about our players – I was really impressed.
“We had a terrific conversation and he told me he’d like to come and play in the Premier League. His wages weren’t extortionate and he was all set to come when his agent called me a couple of days later saying Pep had received a mind-blowing offer from Qatar. So it was Qatar or Wigan.”
Even though their exchange was brief, Jewell heard things that made him think that Guardiola, a Champions League winner as a player and later as coach of Barcelona, was destined for great things.
Jewell said: “Pep even knew what formation we played. And I like the way he conducts himself now. He’s very low key.”
Wigan have form in upsetting City, having won their last two FA Cup meetings including, memorably, the 2013 final at Wembley and a sixth-round tie at the Etihad the season after.
A hat-trick of upsets may be too much to ask for, despite Wigan having knocked out two Premier League sides, Bournemouth and West Ham. But win or lose tonight, current manager Paul Cook has said he
GOALKEEPER
The Spaniard, on loan from Atletico Madrid, was one of four players to follow Roberto Martinez when he joined Everton a few weeks after Wembley. Still at Goodison but third choice behind Jordan Pickford and Maarten Stekelenberg
DEFENDERS
Lifted the cup as Wigan skipper. Played over 250 games in a nine-year spell at the club before leaving in 2015 for a season with Blackpool. Now a Wigan club ambassador
Spent four years with the Latics before signing for West Brom in 2010. The eccentric Austrian returned on loan from Hamburg to become a cup winner. Retired four months later at the age of 33 ANTONIN ALCARAZ Another who followed Martinez to Everton in the summer of 2013, but failed to nail down a first-team would rather share a post-match can of lager rather than a bottle of expensive wine.
“Will I share a drink with Pep? Yes, a can of Skol,” he said. “We respect Pep, but our drinks cabinet won’t change for anybody. I think we got David Moyes a £12 bottle of wine from Tesco.
“We’ll show Pep the utmost respect and I’m sure by the time he leaves he’ll have a good experience of Wigan, but we’re not here to make friends with Manchester City and have everyone pat us on the back after they’ve beaten us by five and say, ‘Have a good season’.
“We want to try to win a game of football.”
Cook’s side have led League One for most of the season but have fallen off the top following defeats by Southend and Blackpool. Their chances of a shock win tonight have been hit by the suspension of captain and midfielder Sam Morsy, who picked up his 10th yellow card against Blackpool last Tuesday. The Latics do have the threat of exManchester United forward Nick Powell and Northern Ireland striker Will Grigg, who have 27 goals between them this season.
And they have a manager determined to play the right way after growing up on the Anfield terraces watching Kenny Dalglish and Ian Rush.
“My boyhood idol was Dalglish,” said Cook.
“Growing up as a Liverpool fan, I like to see football played that way.” place and was released two years later. Spent a year with Las Palmas in Spain and is now playing for Club Libertad in his native Paraguay
Stayed with Wigan following relegation but the Honduras international’s appearances were limited and he left in December 2014 to play for Sporting Kansas City in MLS
MIDFIELD
JAMES McCARTHYAlso followed Martinez to Everton in a £13m deal. The Republic of Ireland player has endured an injury-plagued last 18 months and broke a leg against West Brom in January when attempting to block Salomon Rondon’s shot
Stayed with Wigan following relegation but was snapped up by Crystal Palace in 2014
A nomad since 2013. Stayed on after relegation but left for Sunderland, had loan spell at Blackburn, rejoined Wigan in August 2016 then returned to Spain with Rayo Vallecano and is now at Bulgarian club Levski Sofia
STRIKERS
CALLUM McMANAMAN Man of the match at Wembley but his career has failed to take off. Moved to West Brom in 2015 for £4.75m, loaned to Sheffield Wednesday last season and now with Sunderland The fourth to follow Martinez to Everton but spent four uninspiring years as a squad man. The Ivory Coast star, 34, was released last summer and joined Turkish club Sivasspor on a free transfer FOR REAL: Guardiola, after a stellar career at Barca, below, thought he was too old for Latics Left in 2014 to join Chicago Fire in MLS. Returned to England a year later with Hull but retired last summer and is now Celtic under-20s coach
SUBSTITUTE
BEN WATSON Came on for Gomez in the 81st minute and headed home the historic winner six minutes later. Moved to Watford in January 2015 and joined Nottingham Forest earlier this month
MANAGER
ROBERTO MARTINEZ Appointed David Moyes’ replacement at Everton a few weeks after Wigan’s triumph – and relegation. The Toffees amassed 72 points in his first season, but he could not sustain the momentum and was sacked after three years in charge. Now coach of the all-star Belgium squad who will be in England’s group at the World Cup.