CARRAGHER
City hoping Guardiola can be their Cruyff
THIS is when it all begins to change for Manchester City. They are at the point where it is about more than just titles. Appointing Pep Guardiola, they will believe, is their Johan Cruyff moment.
It is 28 years since Barcelona made the most significant managerial decision in their history to appoint Cruyff. Back in 1988, they were a big name but they were far removed from being Spain’s dominant force, never mind one of world football’s superpowers.
But the hierarchy had seen the work of Cruyff, their former player, at Ajax. He had revolutionised the way the game was played and they wanted him back at the Nou Camp to do the same for Barca.
Cruyff was manager at the Nou Camp for eight seasons but his imprint can still be seen on the team at which we marvel today.
The late, great Dutchman had a Midas touch and to give you an idea of what he helped them achieve, consider these numbers.
Since 1988, Barcelona have won 41 major trophies, a haul which includes five European Cups and 14 La Liga titles. That effectively means they have been champions of Spain every other year. Nobody can dispute their dominance.
Before Cruyff, the story was very different. In the 28 years before he became manager, from 1960 to 1988, Barcelona managed to secure just 12 pieces of silverware, three of which were league titles. The change is remarkable.
That is the type of success City will want to replicate. It is eight years since Sheik Mansour arrived and his billion-pound investment has led to the club winning the Premier League twice to go with a pair of League Cups and the FA Cup.
They experimented with managers — Mark Hughes, Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini all given a chance — and signed high-calibre players such as Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Yaya Toure that supporters would previously have never dreamed of seeing.
Guardiola’s arrival, though, changes the landscape. City did not pursue him so aggressively just to add a few more domestic prizes before he heads on to his next assignment. City have recruited him so they can dominate — and do it in style.
City were screaming out for change last season. They lulled themselves into a false sense of security when they opened the campaign with five straight wins and were made odds-on favourites to be crowned champions. But they ended up disintegrating, scraping a fourth-place finish.
Yes, they got to the Champions League semi-finals but their performance against Real Madrid over two legs, given what was at stake, was embarrassing.
The cycle was coming to an end and the players who were expected to produce key moments were the same ones everyone had looked to for the last five years. For a club with such wonderful resources, it was ridiculous.
For that reason, Pep walked into a big job in Manchester but the idea that he only takes easy jobs is a myth. Of course, everything was set up for him to succeed with Bayern Munich but was Barcelona — his first assignment as a manager — easy? No. It’s nonsense to think so.
He created the ‘false nine’ role that took Lionel Messi to another level and bought Gerard Pique for £4million then made him one of the world’s best defenders; he bombed out stars such as Ronaldinho and Deco and created a team that changed the way everyone wanted to play.
In his first season, remember, he won every trophy on offer — an unprecedented achievement.
You can see already that Pep is looking to the future at the Etihad Stadium with his activity in the transfer window. He has made eight signings so far, seven of whom are 25 or under. Only Nolito, the 29-year-old Spanish forward, could not be described as a player for the long term.
Though Guardiola has only signed a three-year contract, these additions suggest he is going to stay for a while. You cannot help but make a comparison with the business Jose Mourinho has done at Manchester United, buying established internationals who are ready to make an impact.
Take John Stones. He is a player who will be central to City’s development. He has been the standout addition at £50m and I’ve no doubt he will be as good for Guardiola — starting attacks from the back — as Guardiola will be for him. Remember, Guardiola’s sides have had the best defensive records in their leagues in each of his seven years in management.
City will have to defend a lot of counter-attacks and Stones struggled with that for Everton last season. Guardiola will be an education for him.
A lot will be asked of City’s defence this year, given how high up the pitch Guardiola wants his team to dominate, and he will be mindful — as will rival managers — that counter-attacks have cost him a couple of Champions Leagues, particularly with Bayern, who fell into such traps in semifinals against Real Madrid (2014) and Atletico Madrid (2016).
Inevitably, there will be a period of adjustment. He will also have to get used to the physical demands of English football and the number of fixtures that come with it but Philipp Lahm, his captain at Bayern, told me earlier this year that a crammed schedule holds no terrors for Guardiola.
Another point Lahm made is that football, to Guardiola, is more than just about winning. He educates and takes successful teams to different levels. He works constantly with the future in mind, something he will have learned from Cruyff.
A Barcelona influence already runs through City, but Guardiola opens up the prospect for the influence to extend on to the pitch and what they can achieve.
Maybe in the future, we will look back at this evening’s game against Sunderland and realise this was when their domination of English football started.