If Pep Guardiola takes over as Chelsea manager...

Pep Guardiola - Pep Guardiola is leaving Barcelona at the end of the season.
@jkct02 (2874)
Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
April 28, 2012 11:39am CST
Now that it has been confirmed that Pep Guardiola is going to leave at the end of the season, there are rumors too that he may be approached for the Chelsea hot seat. It is ironical that he is leaving the team he managed so successfully and may yet join the team that just broke his heart not so long ago. A question comes into my mind: If he does really take over from Di Matteo at Chelsea, will Pep Guardiola play the way Di Matteo did the next time Chelsea meets Barcelona again if the Chelsea squad remains the same?
3 people like this
11 responses
@polaris77 (2040)
• Bacau, Romania
30 Apr 12
If Guardiola becomes the manager of Chelsea in the summer and the squad remains mostly the same,I think he will have to adapt to the situation and use the same strategy as Di Matteo if Chelsea meets Barca again,but I'm convinced that,with or without Guardiola at helm,there will major changes in the squad in the summer to make it able to compete with the two giants from Manchester this season.Anyway,Di Matteo's achievements since he was in charge of the team,and I really think the best thing Abramovich can do is to let him remain in the managerial position for the next season.Of course,Guardiola wouldn't be a bad choice either,but I think Di Matteo deserves this vote of confidence after he managed to resuscitate a team which appeared to have a disastrous season.
2 people like this
• China
4 May 12
Di Matteo has the big chance to still be the coach in the next season. Even he lose the champion in the final. Not any team can attack with Barcelona to ensure to make more goal than them. Many people believe Guardiola's success own to the players he led. He needs to switch the enviroment to prove himself. If he can really coach the Chelsea to win the title, he can be considered one of the best coachs in the world.
@jkct02 (2874)
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
30 Apr 12
I have the same thoughts as you. Chelsea will have big changes of personnel in the summer. Di Matteo should be retained for next season for his extraordinary achievements. It was unthinkable barely two months ago of the position that Chelsea is in now. To follow the AVB script, Chelsea should have been knocked out by Napoli by popular census. Now even the great Barcelona they have conquered. Pardew of Newcastle has been my manager of the season so far but now I may have to consider Di Matteo too. What he has done is no less spectacular than what Pardew for Newcastle. Yes, I feel the same. I really can't see there were other ways to contain Barcelona and to win. As much as I like beautiful football (which football fans don't?), in his position and under such circumstances, he used the best strategy.
@jkct02 (2874)
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
4 May 12
If Guardiola could led Chelsea, the team that played so negatively to defeat his exciting Barcelona, playing attacking football, to win the EPL or The UCL, then he will really be considered one of the greatest coaches.
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
9 May 12
haha, for any manager appointed for any team, their priority will always lie with the present team they are managing. Even though barca is Guardiola's former club, he has to respect his current employer if he does take over as chelsea's manager. He has to find ways and means to beat barca and i'm sure he can do it since he knows all about barca's strengths and weaknesses.. lol It would be much easier to beat barca via his way than Di matteo's.. haha
1 person likes this
@jkct02 (2874)
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
9 May 12
Your responses always make me smile with haha and the cute baby picture Of course Guardiola will do his best for any clubs that he will manage in the future. He is a professional and he is one of the best. Actually thru this discussion I was trying to see if the former Barcelona manager could do differently from Di Matteo if Guardiola was the one in charge of Chelsea when playing Barcelona as Di Matteo got many negative reviews for his tactic against Barcelona in the UCL semi-finals. I thought Di Matteo had used the best strategy. I wonder those commentators that disagree with him if they have better ideas. Everyone likes beautiful football but as a professional football manager, Di Matteo had to be practical to think of ways to stop Barcelona. It was the highest compliments to Barcelona that a top team like Chelsea would play such a way to contain them.
1 person likes this
@ram_cv (16513)
• India
29 Apr 12
If he takes over at Chelsea, I would be deeply disappointed for two reasons. One he has said that he is quitting because he wants some time away from the game. If that is the reason, then I would think he should be off for at least one year. Secondly, Barca and Chelsea are now arch rivals and if Pep moves over to Chelsea after resigning from Barcelona for no apparent reason, it would really be very disappointing. I would rather see him take over Man United after Sir Alex steps down. Cheers! Ram
@ram_cv (16513)
• India
30 Apr 12
Of course, nothing can beat the Barca-Real rivalry. But even so, Chelsea - Barcelona has been one of the more bitterest rivalries of the last decade or so, ever since Mourinho accused Rijkaard of influencing the referee during the interval. So I would still say that they are at the present arch rivals!! Cheers! Ram
• Greece
29 Apr 12
You are right about your first point, but as for the second, I don't really think fc Barcelona and chelsea are arch-rivals. They definetely got some competition going on, however it is not anything similar like their rivalry with real madrid. If guardiola was moving to Real Madrid's bench, then that would definetely be something to be disappointed to if you are a barca fan.
1 person likes this
@jkct02 (2874)
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
30 Apr 12
Pep Guardiola is not quitting Barcelona. He has just completed his contract. He has fulfilled what he promised. He had four very successful years there so it can not be said that there is still unfinished business for him in Barcelona. So I think he is entitled to moving to another club if ever he changes his mind about wanting time-off from the game. If he does come back in the season after the next to replace Sir Alex at Manchester United, I think that is the best arrangement. Even if ever he comes back to football management in Europe, it is unlikely that he will ever manage another La Liga team. He will probably choose a big club in England or Italy. Any notable teams from the two leagues that could compete in UCL are definite rivals to Barcelona. So I don't think that matters too much. Unlike a local rivalry, it is more an emotional issue rather than a footballing one. We can see that it was okay before the games between Chelsea and Barcelona in the UCL semi-finals. There were not any emotional outbursts except the injustice that Chelsea felt about the previous semi-final against Barcelona a few seasons ago. Even that the rant was directed at the referee of that match and not Barcelona. Can you tell me: If he does really take over from Di Matteo at Chelsea, will Pep Guardiola play the way Di Matteo did the next time Chelsea meets Barcelona again if the Chelsea squad remains the same?
1 person likes this
@adhyz82 (36249)
• Indonesia
28 Apr 12
i dont think that the style of Pep is same with Di Matteo he had adopted the style and the philosophy from Johan Cruyf that the best options for winning is attacking and total football i dont know about di matteo philosophy if iam not wrong, the philosophy of di matteo is only winning and winning even it means he must use the coward strategy and make the game become boring...so i think he adopt what mourinho always use.. i dont think that pep is suitable for chelsea...and i think that pep respect his contract with barcelona..its hard for all people in catalan that he accept the contract from another club now, while he had confirmed that he is so tired and need for relaxing.. i just believe in next season, he just want to be home, freeze his mind and body without pressure and any critics...he just want to be usual people like us..
@adhyz82 (36249)
• Indonesia
29 Apr 12
so tell me about the concept and philosophy from di matteo?? i think he ever was trained by Gullit and Vialli??and both of his coach, they use the attacking style even both of them had known catenaccio
@jkct02 (2874)
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
29 Apr 12
The style and philosophy of Pep Guardiola are definitely different from Roberto Di Matteo. That is the reason why I created this topic for us to discuss what could Guardiola have done differently if he were in Di Matteo's place when Chelsea played Barcelona in the UCL semi-final. That is the question I asked. So far there is still no answer yet. Pep Guardiola has said that he wanted to be out of football for awhile. He may or may not come back to football. But I don't think joining another football club outside of Spain will mean that he did not respect his Barcelona contract, whatever it means. He has fulfilled his Barcelona contract. He has done his best for Barcelona and if he feels he wants something fresh to do, he is entirely entitled to. Just like what he did as a player, leaving Barcelona for Brescia and Roma.
@jkct02 (2874)
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
30 Apr 12
It is obvious to see from the way Di Matteo played his team against Barcelona in the UCL semi-finals that he is defensive-minded while Guardiola is all for attacking. But is that true? Can you tell me: If he does really take over from Di Matteo at Chelsea, will Pep Guardiola play the way Di Matteo did the next time Chelsea meets Barcelona again if the Chelsea squad remains the same?
@Rick1950 (1578)
• Lima, Peru
30 Apr 12
I think that Pep Guardiola feels that he has completed a cycle with Barcelona team, after they have won almost all titles in football. I supose that he could enter in Chelsea if he gets a big offer. In the case that this happens, he would play against Barcelona different than Di Matteo played the last time. Each coach is different.
@Rick1950 (1578)
• Lima, Peru
30 Apr 12
I think the Guardiola's success is due also to the players he has led. Football is a team play. Guardiola will meet other players in Chelsea, who play different as the ones in Barcelona. I think that Barcelona won't be the same without Guardiola too. If Guardiola comes to lead Chelsea he will play to win, to attack, not to defend.
@jkct02 (2874)
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
30 Apr 12
But if Guardiola played attackingly, his Chelsea would have been easier for Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Sánchez and Fabregas to score goals as can be seen from that actual match. Even using almost all the outfield players to defend, Chelsea still needed luck and the goal post to stay alive. Can Guardiola really attack Barcelona effectively with the current batch of Chelsea players without letting Barcelona to score more goals than Chelsea can?
@jkct02 (2874)
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
30 Apr 12
There is no doubt that a big offer is there for Pep Guardiola to take. Roman Abramovich is a generous boss - his only problem is that he wants instant results. If Pep Guardiola were to play differently from Di Matteo as the Chelsea manager against Barcelona, how do you think he would play his men? How would he do to make sure his Chelsea won't be eaten alive by Messi and co? Would he play a 4-3-3?
28 Apr 12
Pep has won I think 19 cups in about four seasons - and they're all different titles. He's won just about everything he needs to win with Barcelona, so it's almost like his work there is done. I don't think that his departure is ironic because of his success, if anything his success is the perfect excuse and reason to move on to another club, in another country especially. He will have new goals, a new outlook, a new language to learn, and a whole new set of titles to achieve. There's no point him staying at Barca. I hope Pep doesn't go to Chelsea personally, mainly because I think Di Matteo has done such an awesome job and he doesn't deserve to be given the push. As for the way Pep would play Barca next season, I don't think we can really say without seeing what happens with the squads, there's bound to be some changes.
• Belgium
28 Apr 12
I don't really agree on you that there's no point of him staying at Barca, he got them to the top... It's like the biggest loss for Barca ever. But, I agree with the rest. You never know what can happen.
28 Apr 12
In terms of a manager wanting a challenge, let's face it they all do, then he should go. I wouldn't want to stay at Barca, think of the pressure! He's young in his career and should make the most of it. Barca will definitely miss him, but then if they're the best team in the world they will get back up and fight on.
1 person likes this
@jkct02 (2874)
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
28 Apr 12
What I meant as "ironical" is that he is leaving the team he loves and may join the team that broke their dream. Whether one likes new challenges is different with everyone. Alex Ferguson has been in Manchester United for 25 years. Arsene Wenger has got 15 years at Arsenal. Both of them are still passionate about the football there. Building a new team is also a challenge. Even maintaining the same title winning team in order to win it again is also a challenge, maybe a harder one. The way that Chelsea played against Barcelona in the 2 legs of the UCL semi-final has incurred criticism by pure football lovers. As Pep Guardiola is the one that is responsible for making that dream team, he is the beautiful football guru. But I am just interested to know, and that is what this discussion is all about, that would the Barcelona boss do differently with Chelsea against Barcelona if he were in Di Matteo's place?
@sjlskl (3382)
• Singapore
30 Apr 12
Guardiola will not be able to repeat his success with Chelsea. The thing about Chelsea is that they are a very strong defensive unit. Take that away and make them play or attempt to play exciting football will only bring them back to the days of AVB. What Di Matteo or the next manager needs to do it to continue the Blues tradition.
@jkct02 (2874)
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
30 Apr 12
They just won 6-1 last night against QPR. Torres, Drogba, Lampard, Mata, Kalou, Cole, Sturridge, Ramires, Malouda, Bosingwa, Ivanovic etc are all attacking-minded players. They can play defensively when the situation requires but when they are controlling the game, they too will move up quickly to attack. And they are not exactly shy to shoot. What interests me is: If he does really take over from Di Matteo at Chelsea, will Pep Guardiola play the way Di Matteo did the next time Chelsea meets Barcelona again if the Chelsea squad remains the same?
@Sanitary (3968)
• Singapore
30 Apr 12
I don't think Guardiola will take over as chelsea manager. If he's taking for the sake of money, he would have done so long ago. Guardiola is like Sir Alex Ferguson, he wants to groom his team, nurturing young talents and i believe he should succeed Sir Alex Ferguson instead. By taking over as chelsea manager, he's putting his previous success at risk especially Chelsea is more interested in buying players than grooming. Besides, chelsea's players are older than he is, and he would be another case of AVB.
@adhyz82 (36249)
• Indonesia
30 Apr 12
what about arsenal?? if pep want get challenges, he would prefer choose arsenal than MU or chelsea.. the concept management of arsenal is same with barcelona.. arsenal academy had same concept too with barcelona academy i think
1 person likes this
@jkct02 (2874)
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
30 Apr 12
Joining Chelsea is definitely a risk. The risk is more about the owner rather than anything else. It is hard for a new manager to work in a team that is in a transitional period if the team owner is in-tolerant of temporary unsteady results and has no patience to wait. But Chelsea will be a big challenge for Guardiola if he is given a long enough contract and tasked to overhaul the whole team as well as their academy set up. In fact there are reports in the news that "Roman Abramovich has already promised Guardiola ‘carte blanche’ at Chelsea in terms of how the club are run and structured and which players are bought and sold". All the credit will be to him if he successfully builds up a Barcelona 2.0 in blue. As for his age, I don't think it matters even with AVB while he was at Chelsea. AVB did well for Porto - I am sure he was not the oldest there. I think he failed to get the support of the old guards there and it created divisions in the team. As a result of that, their play suffered. Just a matter of curiosity: If he does really take over from Di Matteo at Chelsea, will Pep Guardiola play the way Di Matteo did the next time Chelsea meets Barcelona again if the Chelsea squad remains the same?
1 person likes this
@coldnpale (555)
• Greece
28 Apr 12
I am not an expert, but i think we dont really know much about guardiola as a coach. The only football club he has coached is fc barcelona. A club with probably the best line-up in the world. Of course he used his line-up in a great way, that's why he got so many titles. However, we will really know his coaching level once he gets to coach a more average club. As for your question, I think Di Mateo is doing a brilliant job in chelsea, but i'm sure guardiola would make some major changes. Barcelona's game is too different from chelsea. Even if he would want to imitate Di Mateo's way, he would definetely do something different.
@jkct02 (2874)
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
29 Apr 12
Actually this is the question I asked: If he does really take over from Di Matteo at Chelsea, will Pep Guardiola play the way Di Matteo did the next time Chelsea meets Barcelona again if the Chelsea squad remains the same? I am sure any new coaches will do changes in his team. The current squad of Chelsea players are not that young anymore. Major signings are a sure thing in the summer. It was just reported that Germany's Marko Marin from Werder Bremen has just been signed. So that is one change happened. We will be seeing more coming in as well as some departures.
@Zammeee (66)
• Belgium
28 Apr 12
I think that's really just a rumor. I think he's going to look for another challenge, maybe even out of the football world. He said he was exhausted from coaching, so maybe he's going to go somewhere else. Chelsea isn't good for him, nor do I see him as a manager over there. But maybe, he can get Torres to score (if he becomes the manager). Haha :D
@jkct02 (2874)
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
28 Apr 12
If he can do what he pleases, as well as having unlimited financial backings, Pep Guardiola can make any team into a Barcelona 2.0. So there is no question of whether any particular team suits him or not. But I like Di Matteo. I hope he gets the job for next season. Maybe Pep Guardiola could take a year off football (that is what he said)and come back to join Chelsea when Di Matteo is sacked at the end of next season. But the discussion is about that question I asked: With the same squad, could Pep Guardiola have played differently from Di Matteo in the match against Barcelona? By the way, Torres has started scoring goals. His last goal was the one that extinguished the Barcelona fire. :)
28 Apr 12
I'm not surprised he's exhausted, poor guy. I;m glad you agree that Chelsea isn't good for him, I hope he sees it that way. I don't know if anyone can get Torres to score lol.
• United States
28 Apr 12
all is posible in football especially chelsea's owner Roman Abramovich is a Ambisious man the answer can we know after 1 year later after Guardiola finish his break and chelsea will keep Di Matteo to coaching Chelsea until next season
@jkct02 (2874)
• Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
29 Apr 12
Roman Abramovich is definitely an ambitious football team owner. That is the reason why he keeps getting the best coaches and players that money can buy for his Chelsea. Although many people say that money can not buy success, I don't think the likes of Chelsea and Manchester City, if without the money, could have attracted top talents to come to play for them.