October 15 – Long whispered about but always seeming a far-fetched reality, the English Football Association has made contact with Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola about taking charge of the national team. Guardiola’s contract with the defending Premier League champions ends at the conclusion of the current season.
Since the departure of long-serving former coach, Gareth Southgate, the Three Lions have been led by interim and former U21 coach, Lee Carsley.
After a sub-par round of matches in the UEFA Nations League, it is clear that Carsley, while popular with the players, does not immediately possess the gravitas, charisma, or tactical nous to take the national team to ultimate glory.
Guardiola, who is expected to make a final decision on his City future in the next few weeks has not commented about his next move, however, having achieved everything and then some in the club game. Taking on an under-achieving England team feels like a logical next step in becoming the greatest manager the football world has ever seen.
In a recent appearance on Italian TV, Guardiola did not rule out the possibility of joining England by suggesting “anything can happen”.
With four UEFA Champions League titles to his name as a player and coach, it feels logical that the next step is winning international tournaments. It has also been noted that the intensity he coaches with can lead to burnout. Prior to moving to Bayern, he took a sabbatical in New York City after four years in the pressure cooker of Barcelona, where he won the treble and also became the youngest man to win the Champions League as a coach at 37-years-of-age. Currently, he has been at City for eight years, now moving into his ninth.
With his long-time friend and confidant, City’s director of football, Txiki Begiristain, leaving at the end of the campaign, and City facing an unprecedented 115 charges related to financial irregularities, perhaps the time is right to test his unquestioned ability with the perennial underachievers in international football.
With the next World Cup being played in the USA, a country he loves, the stars certainly seem to be aligning, and who would bet against Pep, ruling the world with what on paper, is one of the strongest teams in the tournament, should they qualify.
Contact the writer of this story, Nick Webster, at moc.l1731627634labto1731627634ofdlr1731627634owedi1731627634sni@o1731627634fni1731627634