Sports
Pep Guardiola: Man City manager’s legacy of genius will echo for years to come
Pep Guardiola’s great mentor and inspiration Johan Cruyff once said: “Winning is an important thing, but to have your own style, to have people copy you, to admire you… this is the greatest gift.”
As Manchester City prepare for the departure of the Catalan genius after a decade in charge, Guardiola’s legacy can be seen as a monument to the legendary Dutchman who cast his spell over him as a youngster at Barcelona.
Cruyff said: “Winning is just one day. A reputation will last a lifetime.”
Guardiola’s will, indeed, last forever.
Six Premier Leagues, the Champions League, three FA Cups, five League Cups, the Uefa Super Cup and Fifa Club World Cup won – all in his own brilliant style, or at least the style he feels Cruyff bequeathed him.
And it is one that has been admired and copied – a gift left behind for the domestic game to study for years to come.
Guardiola openly admits – with a hefty helping of modesty, it should be stressed – he “knew nothing” about football until he fell under Cruyff’s instruction, describing him as: “The most influential person in football history.”
The high point of Guardiola’s relationship with Cruyff came when Barcelona won the European Cup (now Champions League) for the first time against Sampdoria at Wembley in 1992. He was the Barca academy graduate who took his place in the so-called ‘Dream Team’ alongside stellar names such as goalscorer Ronald Koeman, Michael Laudrup and Hristo Stoichkov.
Now, as Cruyff did in Spain, Guardiola has created a legacy that has changed the face of football at every level in England.
In his decade at City, Guardiola has not just shaped elite football and the game in the league’s pyramids. He has had an impact at every level down to grassroots, where even junior coaches adopt his strategies.
As Guardiola has micro-managed City’s players like a great conductor from the sidelines, he has produced teams, styles, and tactical innovations that will provide a framework for the modern game, now and in the future.
Guardiola has effectively shaped the game’s future at all levels, from Manchester City themselves to the Premier League and throughout Europe.
Mikel Arteta, who is on the verge of beating City to the Premier League title with Arsenal, was given his first senior coaching post as Guardiola’s assistant.
Enzo Maresca, expected to succeed him at Manchester City, was another member of his coaching staff who then went to Leicester City, taking them back into the Premier League before winning the Europa Conference League and the Fifa Club World Cup at Chelsea.
Luis Enrique worked with Barcelona’s junior teams under Guardiola before succeeding him and winning the Champions League in 2015. He has since won it again with a superb team at Paris St-Germain and is now in a second successive final against Arsenal in Budapest.
Vincent Kompany, now flourishing at Bayern Munich, learned from Guardiola while Manchester City‘s captain, while Xabi Alonso – just appointed as new Chelsea manager – worked under him when he moved from Real Madrid to Bayern Munich in 2014.
Quite simply, Guardiola’s fingerprints touch football at all levels.
Managers and coaches follow the method of playing out from the back, with the goalkeeper needing to be as good with his feet as with his hands. It was one of the reasons Guardiola jettisoned Joe Hart upon arrival at Etihad Stadium.
>
Sports
Frankie Harris shoots 59 in final round before winning Korn Ferry Tour’s Pinnacle Bank Championship in play-off | Golf News
Frankie Harris made an 18-foot birdie putt on the final hole as he shot a 12-under 59 before winning the Korn Ferry Tour’s Pinnacle Bank Championship in a play-off.
Harris shot an eight-under 27 on the back nine at The Club at Indian Creek with six birdies, an eagle and two pars added to four birdies and five pars across his front nine in Nebraska.
The 23-year-old, who beat Alistair Docherty in the play-off after both players ended at 22 under following the regulation 72 holes, is the ninth golfer worldwide to shoot a sub-60 final round and win the tournament.
Harris joins players including Bryson DeChambeau, who won LIV Golf Greenbrier in 2023 after ending with a 58, and Jim Furyk, who recorded a 58 in round four of the 2016 Travelers Championship.
‘Shooting a 59 never crossed my mind’
Harris said afterwards: “The thought of a 59 never even crossed my mind. Honestly, like 100 per cent. I did not know I shot a 59 when I made that putt on 18.
“I knew I was playing well, but I was just trying to keep the pedal on the gas and finish strong.
“I was ready to crack my first beer once I finished the round, but then my caddie and I made a smart choice not do that because Alistair came in real hot.
“I knew it was going to come down to a play-off, so figured it was my time.”
The victory moves Harris to No 29 on the Korn Ferry Tour points list, with the top 20 at the end of the campaign earning PGA Tour cards for 2027.
The PGA Tour’s FedExCup Playoffs begin on Thursday with the FedEx St. Jude Championship. Watch live on Sky Sports Golf and Sky Sports Main Event from 7pm or stream with no contract through NOW.
Get the best prices and book a round at one of 1,700 courses across the UK & Ireland
>
Sports
BBC Sport quiz: Who am I? Guess Premier League footballer No 21
Welcome to our Who am I? game.
The rules are simple. Each day there’s a new footballer and the challenge is to guess who they are in as few attempts as possible.
After each wrong guess you unlock a new clue. The fewer clues you need to get the right answer, the more points you score.
Three is a good score, four or five points is exceptional.
So take part and return for more tomorrow.
Today’s player and clues set by BBC Sport’s Flora Snelson.
After more quizzes? Go to our dedicated Football Quizzes and Sports Quizzes pages and sign up for notifications to get the latest quizzes sent straight to your device.
>
Sports
Andoni Iraola: What we have learned from Liverpool’s start under new boss
Many of Iraola’s attacking principles resemble those of one of his long-time managerial inspirations, the former Leeds United boss Marcelo Bielsa.
The Argentine coached Iraola at Athletic Club between 2011 and 2013 and, speaking to Sky Sports in 2023, the Liverpool boss acknowledged this influence.
“I use a lot of exercises from Marcelo that I learned from him, especially with the ball,” Iraola said.
“Offensively, his teams are very dynamic, willing to make all the runs to the space, he is ready to accept this kind of disorder offensively.”
Like Bielsa’s sides, Iraola already has the Reds playing in a busy manner. When attacking, it is rare to see Liverpool‘s players filling specific areas in a rigid style.
Another tactic Bielsa leans on is the use of wide pairings or trios to break teams down. Iraola experienced this at first hand when playing as a right-back for him.
The full-back and winger would regularly combine on the outside, but the relationship was never as simple as one holding the width and the other supporting underneath statically.
Bielsa, like Iraola now, encouraged players to change their positions in relation to each other.
The winger could come inside, opening the outside lane for the full-back, while a midfielder would move towards the pair to create a third passing option.
On other occasions, the full-back could move inside himself, allowing the winger to remain high and wide.
Liverpool are already showing similar patterns under Iraola, especially on the left, where full-backs have pushed into the final third alongside Rio Ngumoha or Cody Gakpo on the left wing.
Florian Wirtz, playing primarily as Liverpool‘s number 10 under Iraola, has drifted to that flank to provide a third option capable of playing centrally, deep or out wide.
The rotations of these wide triangles make it hard for opponents to know who they should be picking up.
By simplifying the attacking game into two-v-two or three-v-three situations, Liverpool are hoping to have a repeatable and dynamic solution, resulting in crosses from dangerous positions close to goal.
>
-
movies3 months agoSearch For Canadian TV Actor Stewart McLean Now Homicide Investigation
-
Fashion9 years agoThese ’90s fashion trends are making a comeback in 2017
-
Fashion9 years agoAccording to Dior Couture, this taboo fashion accessory is back
-
Fashion9 years agoModel Jocelyn Chew’s Instagram is the best vacation you’ve ever had
-
Fashion9 years agoYour comprehensive guide to this fall’s biggest trends
-
Fashion9 years ago9 Celebrities who have spoken out about being photoshopped
-
Fashion9 years agoEmily Ratajkowski channels back-to-school style
-
Fashion9 years agoA photo diary of the nightlife scene from LA To Ibiza
