In 2001, when Pep Guardiola announced his departure as a player from Barcelona, he said to a reporter, “I have passion for English teams… They’re honest. I remember the first time I played at Old Trafford. It was incredible”. He never got a chance to 'play' for an English club- until 2016. But this was a 'game' quite different from what he wanted to play all those years ago. The two-time Champions League winning manager, started off his English campaign as Manchester City manager by winning the first ten games. But then, the fortunes changed. Guardiola, who had won multiple trophies over the years with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, realised just how dangerous English football could be. The side went on to drop points seven consecutive games. The goals dried up for City, while new goalkeeper Claudio Bravo failed to shine. In 21 games, the side scored only 41 goals, which is lower than any other top five teams in the Premier League, and conceded 26 goals, which is the most among the top seven teams. Guardiola's tactics looked stale and predictable as his side went on to lose crucial games against Chelsea, Leicester City and Liverpool. The manager who once ruled over the shores of Spain, looked 'weak' and 'pathetic' as he suffered the biggest defeat of his managerial career at Goodison Park against Everton by 4-0. As Manchester City dropped down to fifth spot in the EPL table, the image of a 'defeated' Guardiola sitting in the dugout went viral. But exactly what has gone wrong for Guardiola? Tensions with players What has eaten Guardiola's side is the lack of faith the 46-year old had on his players. Wanting his goalkeeper to use his feet to play the ball, the Spaniard got involved in a bitter tussle with Joe Hart. The English goalkeeper retaliated by arguing he is "not a mid-fielder". Perhaps, Guardiola wanted someone like Bayern Munich's Manuel Neuer who is notoriously known for playing in front leaving the net unguarded at times. As a result, Hart packed his bags and moved on to Torino. Soon after, Guardiola again got engaged in another tussle with veteran Yaya Toure. The two have a history since the time when Toure used to play in Guardiola's Barcelona. The relationship nbetween the two got heated once again as Toure was sidelined by the manager. Toure's agent added chinks to the fire when he said that Pep is 'humiliating' a 'great player' by benching him. Toure openly apologised on behalf of his representatives, which saw him return to the team, but by then Guardiola had already distanced himself from some of the fans. Lack of study The man who seemed like a master tactician for the club is appearing like a student of the game. It looks as if Guardiola was unprepared for the English challenge. In an interview, Guardiola said, "Many times the ball is more in the air than the grass, and I have to adapt. I never before was focused on that, because in Barcelona or in Spain, more or less the players try to play for the culture." The manager failed to realise that unlike minnows teams in Spain and Germany, the English clubs will continue to look for a counter-attack, often spurned by long passes. Even his German counterpart Jurgen Klopp went on a similar rant against Jose Mourinho's Manchester United last week after they employed Maraoune Fellaini and played continuous long balls towards the 6 ft 7 in player from the goalpost. ".When Mourinho brought on Fellaini, it wasn't football anymore," Klopp said. What these experienced managers must realise that the nature of English football has been built on fast-paced action, and unlike in Germany, it often gets ugly here. Guardiola must adapt quickly because losing games against considerably weaker oppositions is costing his side. Lack of discipline The star striker Sergio Aguero faced a four-match ban for violent conduct. Guardiola was also frustrated by his regular midfielder Fernandinho who got the third red card of the season and was banned for four matches. He chose to remain quiet on the indiscipline among the players and instead pointed fingers at referees. But as a manager, he simply cannot afford to let his players continue to make silly tackles. He needs to get things under control and get some discipline back. Manchester City faces a tough challenge on Saturday in the form of Tottenham Hotspur who are currently on a roll with seven consecutive wins. A win against Spurs might get things back on track for the Citizens.
