Pep Guardiola - The Luckiest Man In Football

Sport is full of stories about people getting lucky breaks, being in the right place at the right time and of people making the most of the opportunities handed to them but in my opinion these phrases sum up one man better than most.  That man is new Bayern Munich Head Coach, Pep Guardiola. 

Guardiola must be one of the luckiest people in world football.  He was a very good player winning six La Liga's, two Copa del Rey's, four Spanish Super Cups, a European Cup, a European Cup Winners Cup, two European Super Cups and an Olympic gold medal but it's since his playing career ended in 2006 that his fortunes have really picked up.

Some ex players go into the media, some go into minor coaching roles and some go into management.  Guardiola was fortunate that he was so highly thought of at Barcelona from his playing days that they decided to hand him the job of manager of their B team in 2007.  After a successful season he was promoted to manage the first team when Frank Rijkaard left the club.  After just one season in charge of a team playing in the third tier of Spanish football, Guardiola now found himself in charge of one of the biggest clubs in world football and a team that had been crowned European Champions just two years before. 

I can't think of many other managers who had such a quick rise to the top and a look at the other modern era managers who have won multiple European Cups shows that the rest of the games top coaches had to earn their places at the top.  Guardiola has to consider himself very fortunate as he inherited a fantastic side with players like Carlos Puyol, Xavi, Andres Iniesta, Lionel Messi, Samuel Eto'o. 

As much as people like to talk about Barcelona bringing through their own talent it's not entirely true.  Obviously, they have brought some fantastic players through their youth teams but they also backed Guardiola in the transfer market.  In his four seasons at the club they spent hundreds of millions on Dani Alves, Seydou Keita, Gerard Pique, Alexander Hleb, Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Dmytro Chygrynskiy, David Villa, Javier Mascherano, Alexis Sanchez and Cesc Fabregas.  That's quite a list of talent and whilst they didn't always work out, the point is he was given the best players to do his job from the very beginning. 

Guardiola took advantage of this opportunity and rewarded Barcelona with a very successful period in their history.  In his four year spell he won fourteen trophies; three La Liga titles, two Copa Del Rey's, three Spanish Super Cups, two European Cup's, two European Super Cup's and two Club World Cup's.  Nobody can argue with the trophies he won in his time at Barcelona but I do feel there are questions about how much of a part he played in this success. 

The Barcelona squad he took charge of has been considered by many to have been the greatest club side of all time.  Lionel Messi is one of the best players I've ever saw.  Xavi and Iniesta are legendary figures too and were at the peak of their powers throughout the years that Guardiola managed them.  Those three alone could have pushed any side to the top of Europe but Guardiola also had world class players all over the park to support them.  Time will tell how good Guardiola is but he certainly landed on his feet when he got the Barcelona job. 

After resigning last year Guardiola said he was taking a year out and despite being linked with many top jobs he has stuck to his decision and has taken a year away from the game although he did announce his plans for next season back in January.  Bayern Munich announced that Pep would be taking over the German giants from next season as their current manager, Jupp Heynckes was set to retire. 

Since then, Bayern Munich have secured the Bundesliga title by a huge margin and also set about the Champions League knock out stages in amazing fashion, obliterating Arsenal, Juventus and Barcelona on the way to their third Champions League Final in four years.  Bayern managed to squeeze past their German rivals, Borussia Dortmund in the Final and now have the chance to secure a famous treble when they face Stuttgart in the German Cup Final.  They have already announced that Dortmund star, Mario Gotze will join them next season and it is also expected that his team mate, Robert Lewandowski will join him in Munich next season.  Once again, Guardiola seems to be landing on his feet by taking over a team in a position of strength. 

Guardiola will go to Munich this summer inheriting the best squad in Europe and Bayern have always been one of the biggest spenders in football so he will be well backed.  I do like him but I think he still has a point to prove.  Most managers could make a success of managing Barcelona and if he needs an example of how the grass isn't always greener, he should look at the man he replaced. 

Frank Rijkaard had a successful spell in charge of Barcelona but followed it up with unsuccessful spells at Galatasaray and Saudi Arabia.  Whether Guardiola is a truly elite coach or just another Frank Rijkaard remains to be seen but he has certainly enjoyed a fair share of luck in the fact that he has arrived at two great clubs at just the right time.

GJ Sports Blog - Sportzine Volume 1

Welcome to the new style GJ Sports Blog were I will be doing a twice weekly look at the main stories in the sports world.  I will still be looking to write longer blogs on occasion but this feature will be used mainly as a home for opinions on subjects that I don't want to write a full blog on but that I want to say more about than just random Twitter rants.  If you have any subjects you would like to discuss feel free to contact me on Twitter, @gjsportsblog.

SOCCER

Luis Suarez 

Much has been said on the subject and if I'm honest I don't agree with what seems to have become the common attitude,  that he is being harshly treated.  My own opinion is that ten games is about right for the offence.

 
When I was finished replaying the incident multiple times on Sunday evening my thoughts began to turn to an appropriate punishment.  I knew he had been punished for a similar offence in his time in Holland but couldn't remember exactly how long his ban had been.  A quick Google search showed that he was banned for seven games on that occasion and using that as a precedent and taking into consideration that this was his second offence, I felt a ten game ban would be fair enough although if I'm honest I didn't think the FA would have the balls to give him such a long ban. 

Many Liverpool fans have argued that the ban is too long when compared to some of the bad tackles that have been made this season.  My argument to this is bad tackles are a part of football.  It's very easy for someone to commit themselves to a challenge and with the speed that the top players are playing at in the modern game these challenges can often be mistimed and players can suddenly become public enemy number one simply because an attacker was too quick for them.  I'm not saying that every bad tackle is accidental but I would say that quite a few of them are and it's an impossible task to expect a disciplinary committee to get inside a players mind to be able to judge a players intent when making a challenge. 

The Suarez case is completely different and you don't just bite someone by accident.  For me the two lowest places a man can go are if he bites or spits on another man.  Both are absolutely disgusting and both are extremely cowardly.  Had Suarez stood up to Ivanovic like a man and punched him he would have no doubt got a ban but deep down he would have earned a small bit of respect as he took issue with a bigger man and had the guts to stand up to him.  As it was though Suarez sunk to lowlife, corner boy tactics and as good as he is on the field any bit of respect he was still owed after his other misdemeanour's has been lost. 

Many argue that Suarez is being punished because of who he is and not what he done but why is that wrong?  In any other circumstance he would be judged on his past character whether that be in a court of law or an employment related disciplinary hearing.  When making a judgement people will want to know are the actions out of character for the person and on this occasion they certainly were not. 

Suarez now misses the remainder of this season and roughly the first month or so of next season and that will be a big loss for Liverpool.  What would be an even bigger loss to Liverpool would be if he decides to leave the Premier League due to the "harsh treatment" he receives.  Luis Suarez, the footballer is an asset to Liverpool and the Premier League and it would be bad for everyone if he were to leave.  English football has lost a lot of it's star players in the last few years and the league would be worse off without him but the time is long overdue for Suarez to realise that he isn't being victimised and that his situation is 100% his own making. 

Champions League Shocks

When the draw was made for the Champions League semi finals many fans were licking their lips at the prospect of an El Classico at Wembley to decide who were the best team in Europe.  After the first legs though it's looking highly unlikely.  Barcelona went to Munich to play FC Bayern and got absolutely spanked 4-0.  In the second semi final it was Real Madrid's turn to go to Germany and they too were on the wrong end of a beating, losing 4-1 to FC Bayern.

 

The Bayern v Barca game was something that will live long in the memory.  Barcelona have been the best team in Europe for the past few seasons and when Messi, Xavi and Iniesta click they are simply unstoppable.  Many teams have tried to find the formula to stop Barcelona but nobody had really managed it until now.  Not only did Bayern find a way to stop Barca but they also managed to find their weak spots in defence and in the end were fully deserving winners. 

That result was surprising enough but many fans were even more surprised when Dortmund handed out a similar beating to Jose Mourinho's, Real Madrid.  Most fans expected Madrid to have too much strength for the German's but if I'm honest I was less surprised at this result than I was at the Barcelona one.

 

I think I'm blinded with Barca bias but I have bought into the notion of Barcelona's invincibility and always believe that they can overcome any team in the world.  In the other tie, Dortmund had already got the better of Real in the group stages.  A 2-1 win in Germany and a 2-2 draw in Spain thanks to a late Mesut Ozil equaliser were enough to see Dortmund finish top of Group D with an unbeaten record.  They have managed to maintain that unbeaten record and with Real Madrid's up and down season I always believed they would have a chance.  

As it was Robert Lewandowski produced a master class, scoring four goals to give Dortmund a huge lead and one they are more than capable of defending in the Bernabeu.

With the second legs to look forward to all signs are pointing towards an all German Final but I have watched enough European football over the years to know that it's not quite that straight forward.  At least one of the two are going to get a very tough time of it.  Barcelona and Real Madrid are top class sides and they will throw everything they have at the German sides.  If one of them could get an early lead to get the crowd fired up it could suddenly become a lot harder than it should be to protect three and four goal leads.

BASKETBALL

NBA Playoffs

The NBA Playoffs got under way this week and so far they've went pretty much as expected.  The vast majority of games look like going with the higher seeded team with only the Chicago Bulls and the Golden State Warriors looking like causing an upset.  

The Bulls lead 2-1 over the Brooklyn Nets at present with Game 4 due to take place in Chicago tomorrow.  Golden State are currently tied at 1-1 with the Denver Nuggets after splitting the first two games in Denver.  There's still a long way to go but the Warriors have given themselves a chance of progressing by taking home court advantage from the Nuggets.  

At this stage in the NBA playoffs it's mostly about gathering momentum.  With over half the teams in the league qualifying for the post season there's a lot of teams in there who have no real chance of winning a title and it'll be another round before things start to heat up.

In terms of teams that can win the Championship, it's impossible to look past the Miami Heat.  They won it last year and they look even better this year.  LeBron James is unplayable at times and in the unlikely event that one of their opponents find a way to stop him they can fall back on Dwayne Wade who is also capable of winning games on his own.  To win the title the Heat will most likely have to get past Chicago, New York and Oklahoma City.  Those three are all capable of beating Miami but not in a seven game series.

ICE HOCKEY

NHL

With the Stanley Cup playoffs just around the corner we are reaching a very exciting time in the NHL.  In the Eastern Conference there is little to play for with the eight teams already decided but things are a little more exciting in the West.  

Two of the Detroit Red Wings, the Minnesota Wild and the Nashville Predators will be in the playoffs.  With places in the playoffs up for grabs, the stakes are high enough but for me it's much more than that.  I'm a Detroit Red Wings fan and for me it's not about reaching the 2013 playoffs, it's all about keeping "the streak" alive.  

The Red Wings have reached the playoffs in twenty one seasons in a row which is a remarkable record but there's still room for improvement.  The Red Wings hold the current record for longest active streak by quite some distance but they still have a long way to go to match the Boston Bruins record of twenty nine consecutive playoff appearances throughout the 60s, 70s, 80s and 90s. 

The Red Wings have given themselves a fighting chance of reaching the playoffs and a win in their final game of the season against the Dallas Stars would see them into the post season.  If they can pass that test then you just don't know how they might do.  Last year the Los Angeles Kings were playing desperation hockey in their last few games which led to them coming into the playoffs with a lot of momentum.  Could the same thing happen to this years Red Wings?  In hockey, you just don't know. 

Finally, thank you for taking the time to read this opening edition of the GJ Sports Blog Sportzine.  As this is my first time doing this I would very much appreciate some feedback.  I have a few ideas for other features to include in future editions such as a quiz and a look at lesser known leagues or clubs around the world.  I'm working with a blank canvas at the moment and would like to know what people enjoy reading, don't enjoy reading and what you would like to see in future editions.  Feel free to add comments here or on my Twitter page, www.twitter.com/gjsportsblog.

AC Milan v Barcelona Preview

Tonight sees two of Europe's biggest clubs go head to head in the San Siro in a huge Champions League clash.  AC Milan and Barcelona are two of the biggest names in European football and it promises to be a fantastic spectacle.

Milan have the better history in this competition but Barcelona will be favourites when you consider the two sides current standing in world football.  Milan have been on a downward slide in recent times as their players ages have caught up with them.  They are now bringing in some younger players in an attempt to build another great Milan side but surely it's too much to ask a transitional Milan to beat one of the best club sides of all time. 

This Barcelona team are without doubt the best club side I've ever saw but maybe if I was just a few years older I might consider the great Milan team of the early 90's a rival to them.  I remember that team in flashes and even watched the 1994 Champions League Final as a nine year old when Milan battered Barcelona 4-0.  I was a little too young to truly appreciate that team and the only other rivals to Barcelona in my generation would be the Galactico's.  It is no doubt tight but in my opinion this Barcelona team are better.  Older readers may point to old Ajax, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid teams but I'm too young to consider them. 

Milan and Barcelona met four times last year in this competition after being drawn together in the group stages and the Quarter-Finals.  Barca got the better of the battles last year with two wins and two draws in the four games. Since then Milan have lost Gennaro Gattuso, Clarence Seedorf, Alessandro Nesta, Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Thiago Silva.  Gattuso, Seedorf and Nesta were all getting a bit old but Ibrahimovic and Silva are players that are irreplaceable.  If a team that included those five were unable to get one over Barcelona I can't see this current team doing the job either.   

For tonight's game, Milan's new star striker, Mario Balotelli, misses out as he is cup tied.  Barcelona are also without one of their strikers.  David Villa misses out but Barca have plenty of other attacking options and his absence will not be as crucial to Barcelona as Balotelli's is to Milan.  Both sides are in good form however.  Both are unbeaten in six games and after a slow start Milan have lost just one of their last thirteen Serie A games.  Barcelona's league form has been terrific and even at this early stage it looks as though it's just a matter of time before they officially take Real Madrid's league crown off them.   

I am looking forward to this game as I watch Barcelona on a regular basis so know exactly what they are capable of.  I don't watch a lot of Milan so I am eager to get a look at this new team but I would have to say that in the little I have saw of them I don't think they are close to being on the same level as Barcelona.  I think we could see another Champions League mismatch similar to last night's tie between Arsenal and Bayern Munich.  I have no doubt that Barcelona will come out on top in this tie and I would be quite surprised if they don't go home to Spain with a lead.

UEFA Champions League - Celtic v Spartak Moscow Preview

Celtic finish their Champions League group stage campaign tonight and they still have a great chance of qualifying for the knockout stage for the first time since the 2007/08 season.  The equation is simple, Celtic have to get a better result at home to Spartak Moscow than Benfica get away to Barcelona.  Barcelona are already through to the last sixteen and will rest Javier Mascherano, Jordi Alba, Xavi, Andres Iniesta , Cesc Fabregas and Pedro Rodriguez.  Having said that, Barcelona will still have a strong squad to choose from and they have a great record against Portuguese teams at home, winning their last ten.

Celtic cannot afford to worry about what happens in Spain and must concentrate on doing their own job.  Spartak Moscow have had a bad campaign but on their day they can cause problems.  Celtic won in Moscow which kick started this campaign and another win should be enough to take the hoops through. 

In the last game I believe Neil Lennon got the tactics wrong.  The win over Barcelona gave him the confidence to think he could go to Portugal and play 4-4-2.  The difference between the Benfica style and the Barcelona style is width.  Benfica play with wingers who have their heels on the touchline.  Barca don't rely on wingers and play a much more narrow style.  Even when they get the ball out wide, nine times out of ten they'll play it back to the edge of the box.  Against Barcelona Celtic played 4-4-1-1 and defended their own half and the width of the penalty box.  The 4-4-1-1 meant for much of the game they had ten men behind the ball, defending a relatively small area.  Against Benfica Celtic had to defend the full width of the pitch and the 4-4-2 meant they only had nine men behind the ball.  With less bodies and a larger area to cover, Celtic found it very difficult to contain Benfica.  Both sides dominated possession against Celtic but Benfica carried a bigger threat in the attacking third as they had more spaces to exploit.

In tonights game I would like to see Lennon return to the 4-4-1-1 that has served us so well in Europe this year.  I know it's a home game but I just don't think 4-4-2 works any more on the European or international stage.  The teams from mainland Europe are all technically better than the teams from UK/Ireland.  We see it in Europe all the time and England and Ireland experienced it in the Euros.  These sides all line up with one thing in common, three central midfielders.  It might be 4-3-3, 4-2-3-1, 4-5-1 but almost always, they will have three players in that area.  Most games are dominated by whoever wins the midfield and my opinion is if your opponents are technically superior footballers you have to try to win the physical battle.  No matter how physical your two central midfielders are, it's going to be an impossible task to win over three men.  The opposition will always have a spare man and they have the ability to find him.  Your two players are going to be chasing shadows and will quickly become ineffective.  Celtic need to line up with a forward player in a deeper role and they have a perfect player for that job in Georgios Samaras.  Samaras is quick enough to break out from midfield when Celtic win back possession and he is a great option to have as an out ball.  If Celtic use him right, I think Samaras could be the difference between winning and losing. 

The line up I would go with is as follows.  Frazer Forster is an obvious choice in nets and the back four will most likely be Mikael Lustig, Emilio Izaguirre, Efe Ambrose and Kelvin Wilson.  The midfield will pose the biggest problem for Neil Lennon but I would expect him to line up with Scott Brown, Joe Ledley, Beram Kayal and Charlie Mulgrew.  I've already mentioned Samaras in an attacking midfield role and I would play him just behind Gary Hooper who was fantastic in Moscow.  The only other option would be starting Kris Commons ahead of Beram Kayal and playing him on the right wing and putting Brown in the middle but I would expect Kayal to start.  I expect to see Commons come on for Scott Brown at some stage but I prefer him coming off the bench on European nights.  The suspended, Victor Wanyama, will be a huge loss for Celtic and everyone will have to give a little bit extra to compensate for his absence.  Wanyama has been outstanding this season and has been instrumental in getting Celtic to this point.

Win, lose or draw tonight I hope the Celtic fans get behind the team and we don't see a repeat of the criticism Neil Lennon has had to endure from his own support.  People have short memories and a wee bit of success goes to their head.  The league form has been poor but Celtic are most definitely not the first team to struggle to be competitive domestically and in Europe.  Better teams than Celtic have struggled to juggle the two competitions and with our former rivals no longer with us, we can afford to put all our eggs into the European basket for a few months.  Celtic are in a much better position than we were when Neil Lennon was appointed and in my opinion he is doing a fantastic job.  Lennon's team is a work in progress and this Champions League campaign will have made them better players and I can see bright futures in football for quite a few of the squad.      

When the Champions League draw was made I set a target of European football after Christmas.  We have already guaranteed that so let's raise the bar a little and lift the target to Champions League football after Christmas.  Either way Neil Lennon and his team have done themselves proud this year and I for one will never forget the joy and relief when that final whistle blew at Celtic Park on 7th November 2012.