Martin Keown firmly believes Pep Guardiola is the greatest manager to have ever graced football.
It is a testament to Guardiola’s unique genius that even during his time at Barcelona, which was his first managerial job in the game, many reckoned he was the best manager they had ever laid their eyes on.
At Bayern Munich and Manchester City ever since, those who especially championed the Spaniard have only seen their faith in him increase as he has continued to revolutionise the beautiful game.
Martin Keown says Pep Guardiola is the greatest manager of all time
Others believe that the £378,846-a-week tactician is up there but he is yet to cement his status as the undisputed best in history. For instance, Chelsea boss Mauricio Pochettino felt the Spaniard could be named in the same breath as Sir Alex Ferguson only after becoming the first manager to win two trebles in his career last year.
As one can conclude that judging players is a subjective task, the same can be said for the masterminds on the sidelines.
However, Martin Keown, who worked closely with an all-time great in Arsene Wenger at Arsenal believes Pep Guardiola has surpassed him and every other manager the game has ever seen.
“If I am picking my greatest manager, he [Pep Guardiola] has to be number one. Then there are Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp”, he wrote in his column for the Daily Mail.
“Guardiola is my number one. Then there are Sir Alex Ferguson Arsene Wenger Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp. I am not listing them one to five.”
Martin Keown also pinpointed why those who continually slate Pep Guardiola are incorrect in their criticisms of him.
“I am not listing them one to five. There are four who are very close — and then Guardiola. Critics might say he has the big budget and the best players, but he is using it to a maximum”, he said.
“His style is rippling through English football. Teams from here to the far reaches of the land, even in Sunday pub leagues, are playing out from the back. Beat the press, keep the ball, use it quickly. The Guardiola Effect. It will remain long in the memory.”
The fact that an Arsenal legend is happy to admit Pep Guardiola is the greatest says it all
It would have been expected if Martin Keown believed Arsene Wenger was a greater manager than Pep Guardiola and other legendary coaches, having witnessed his tactical ingenuity up close.
However, even Keown has acknowledged Guardiola’s one-of-a-kind impact on English football, which has surpassed the influence of those who were once likened to him, such as Wenger.
Such is the undeniable brilliance of the Catalan boss, which the English legend recognises.
