Pep Guardiola with Tubes exclusive: What I love about management
Speaking with Soccer AM’s Tubes, Pep Guardiola gave a fascinating insight into the highs of being a manager.
The Manchester City boss has won everything as a club boss; three La Liga titles, three Bundesligas, two Champions League crowns, three Club World Cups and countless other trophies, as well as chasing his second straight Premier League title.
Though he admits he enjoyed playing more than management, Guardiola opened up on the particular buzz he enjoys in the dugout, but insists the players deserve most of the credit for his success.
He told Tubes: „The best is when you decide to play in a certain way and it works. At the end, trophies and titles are a consequence, but more pleasure comes when you imagine a game, or players playing in a way, and it happens.
„That is the most satisfaction as a manager, that is the reason why I am a manager. The opponent playing in a certain way, we are going to do this and that with the players we have, it is incredible.“
Asked for the reason behind his success, Guardiola said: „Good teams. Good teams. Thank you so much [for the praise], I appreciate it, I do my best and I am a good manager, but good teams. Barcelona, Bayern Munich and here, three incredible clubs, organisations, and incredible players.
„I don’t play! I can give some advice, the way we train, try to create good atmosphere, convince them of the best way to play, but I don’t play!“
Having learned from Johan Cruyff at Barcelona, Guardiola revealed he was in his mid-20s when he decided he wanted to be a manager, and would even think how he would set up as a boss before he played.
„When I was 25, 26 years old. Johan Cruyff helped me to enjoy and try to understand the game. I like my profession, I like what I do,“ he said.
„I played the games like a football player, but before the games I would try to figure out what I would do if I was a football manager.“
As well as delving into the pleasures of management, Guardiola revealed the aspects of the job he dislikes. Above all, he says leaving players out is the toughest part of management.
„The worst day is by far when you cannot let your players play. That is terrible. It is a disaster. It kills me,“ Guardiola said.
„But I don’t have that solution, so I try to make rotation, there are many, many players who deserve to play, and I cannot let them play. That is the toughest moment in my profession.“
Guardiola also enjoyed a glittering playing career, winning six La Liga titles and the European Cup with Barcelona, and admits nothing compares to being out on the pitch.
But the 48-year-old insists punditry – the route for many ex-professionals – is not for him
„[I prefer] Playing. Definitely! Play and go home, that’s all. Here it never ends. But now I enjoy my profession,“ he said.
„When you are a player you are there, you score a goal, you hug your mates, and in the bad moments, nothing is comparable when you are a football player. It’s like when you are a manager and after you are a pundit, so better you are a manager!“
Asked if he would become a pundit, Guardiola said: „No. No way. No, no, no. I will not do that because I have a lot of respect for other managers, and I will not offend with my comments.
„I will be watching the game, but I will be playing golf and reducing my handicap.“
Soccer Accumulator Bonus
Our fantastic Euro Soccer accumulator offer gives you the chance to earn a bonus of up to 100% on accumulators on the top domestic leagues in Europe along with the group and knockout stages of the Champions League.
This offer applies to returns on pre-match accumulators of 3 or more selections on Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets for the English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga 1 or UEFA Champions League.
The maximum bonus that you can receive is ˆ100,000 or currency equivalent. The bonus will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, the bonus will be calculated based .on the remaining active stake. If a qualifying bet is edited .using our Edit Bet feature. The bonus will be calculated based on the new stake. Where a bet has been edited to include or amend a selection for an event that is In-Play, the bonus will no longer apply. Double Chance bets or combination bets with bonuses. Such as Lucky 15’s or Lucky .31’s do not apply for this offer.
If your bet is successful, we will add the following bonuses to your returns:
Bet Type Bonus
14-folds and upwards 100% bonus
Terms and Conditions
Applies to straight pre-match accumulator bets on the Full Time Result or Result/Both Teams To Score markets for UEFA Champions League, English Premier League, Italian Serie A, Spanish Primera Liga, German Bundesliga .1 or Australian A-League matches. Maximum bonus ˆ100,000 or currency equivalent. Soccer Accumulator Bonus does not apply to Double Chance bets or combination. bets with bonuses such as Lucky 15’s, Lucky 31’s etc.
If any selections are postponed/void then the bonus will still apply, but the percentage bonus added will reflect the actual number of winning selections. For example, an 8-fold accumulator with 7. winners and 1 postponed match will receive a 30% .bonus to returns.
The bonus part of your returns will be added to your account within 24 hours of your final selection having played.
This bonus will not apply where a stake has been fully Cashed Out. Where a stake has been partially Cashed Out, the bonus will be calculated based on the remaining active stake.
If a qualifying bet is edited using our Edit Bet feature, the bonus will be calculated based on the new stake. Where a bet has been edited to include or amend a selection for an event that is In-Play, the bonus will no longer apply.
Where any term of the offer or promotion is breached or there is any evidence of a series of bets placed by a customer or group of customers, which due to a deposit bonus, enhanced payments, free bets, risk free bets or any other promotional offer results in guaranteed customer profits irrespective of the outcome, whether individually or as part of a group, bet365 reserves the right to reclaim the bonus element of such offers and in their absolute discretion either settle bets at the correct odds, void the free and risk free. bets or void any bet funded by the deposit bonus.
In addition bet365 .reserve the right to levy an administration charge on the customer up to the value of the deposit bonus, free bet, risk free bet or additional payment to cover administrative costs. We further reserve the right to ask any customer to provide sufficient documentation for us to be satisfied in our absolute discretion as to the customer’s identity prior to us crediting any bonus, free bet, risk free bet or offer to their account.
All bet365 offers are intended for recreational players and bet365 may in its sole discretion limit the eligibility of customers to participate in all or part of any promotion.
bet365 reserves the right to amend, cancel, reclaim or refuse any promotion at its own discretion.
