Former German footballer Lothar Matthaus has hit out at the Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola for being too egocentric.
According to Matthaus, Guardiola has failed to replicate his Barcelona success at the other clubs because of his tendency to innovate all the time.
The former German footballer believes that Guardiola is always looking to do something different and outsmart his opponents in big games. However, that has backfired against the current Manchester City manager quite often.
Guardiola’s decision to make too many tactical changes and use his key players in different roles has left Matthaus unimpressed.
He revealed that Guardiola once used Robert Lewandowski as a left-sided winger during his time as the Bayern Munich manager.
He said: “With Pep Guardiola I have the feeling that he always wants to do something special in big games. Barcelona had a system he pulled through. Pep was successful there. With Bayern and City, he tried it over and over again with changes and failed again and again. He always wanted to show that he could do even better. I would like to tell him: Pep, you are a giant trainer – but please keep your system! I would describe it as egocentric: Yes, that’s a harsh word, but it is due to what he did: At Bayern, Robert Lewandowski even had to play left wing once. That did not work out at all.”
Guardiola has failed to win the Champions League ever since he left Barcelona and it will be interesting to see if he can guide City to European glory next season.
Despite spending millions of pounds over the last few years, Guardiola has been a failure in Europe with Manchester City. Rivals such as Liverpool have managed to win the trophy with the far more reasonable outlay and impressive coaching.
There is a lot of pressure on Guardiola to deliver in the European competitions, and it will be interesting to see how his side performs in the Champions League next season.
The Premier League giants are already looking to spend considerable money this summer in order to strengthen their squad, and the fans will be desperate for European success next summer.
