Pep Guardiola has admitted that there is one possibility that still scares him at Manchester City, despite having been such a success at the club.
The Spaniard is now into his eighth season as City boss, and it is widely accepted that he is the greatest manager in the game today.
Guardiola has implemented a wonderful style of football over the years and has had several amazing teams at the Etihad.
So far, Pep has won 16 trophies at City (including two Community Shields), with five of those coming in 2023 in what was the club’s most successful year ever.
Pep is undoubtedly at the top of his game – but he admits that there is still one thing he does fear as City manager, despite all his achievements…
Pep Guardiola says he worries about his Manchester City players ‘tuning out’ on him
Pep sat down for an interview with Men In Blazers after the club’s triumph at the Club World Cup, where they defeated Fluminense in the final.
One of the most interesting lines he gives is when he is asked about how he continues to motivate the players and how he avoids complacency in the dressing room.
When asked how he avoids getting ‘tuned out’ by his players, he admitted: “That is a good, good question, I ask myself. I’m scared of that. After eight years with the same message. that’s why I said many times with managers there is not a book that tells you after eight years what you have to do.
“You see the eyes of your players, your staff and say ‘OK, today you have to do this, tomorrow you have to do that, the day after tomorrow you have to be completed the positive.
“Always, I think, the fear to lose games, to disappoint people to disappoint yourself, to maintain standards as high as possible. That makes you feel ‘OK, let’s try to do it again’. I think it’s a club that pushes each other.”
An interesting admission
It is fascinating to hear Pep admit this, but there is surely no danger of this ever happening at City.
Pep may fear the players ‘tuning out’ on him, but this is a very modest view. Those players know they are being managed by one of the greatest managers the game has ever seen. He is relentless, as Huddersfield Town manager Darren Moore said after the FA Cup match last weekend.
Jack Grealish also said last month that he is the best manager in the world.
It’s likely they will never have anyone better giving them tactical instructions and so, it would be madness if they started ‘tuning out’.
Pep is always doing different things at City, and looking for different ways to make the team successful. The end result is usually a trophy, so none of these guys can afford to tune out.
