The fact that Gary Neville got a job managing in Spain tells us all we need to know about the mindset of European clubs.
#VieriaOut or #VieriaIn
- Thread starter Brandon34
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The fact that Gary Neville got a job managing in Spain tells us all we need to know about the mindset of European clubs.
The thing is that there are countless examples around at present and throughout football history of the old adage that a good manager at lower levels would not necessarily be a good manager at the top, and vice versa. Would the likes of a Pep Guardiola be able to romp to a league title in MLS, or Denmark, or South Africa? Almost certainly not, because his system revolves around having players intelligent enough to play his system almost flawlessly, and he has virtually no capacity for altering his set-up to cope with a player or players failing to do their part. To take a non-footballing example, a legendary stock car driver would probably be hopelessly out of their league if asked to compete in NASCAR or Formula One.
True pragmatist managers like Mourinho might be capable of challenging at any level, because they base their systems around identifying their teams' strengths and weaknesses and then playing a game which throttles the opposition by utilising their players in a very specific way to neutralise the opposition rather than necessarily to play up to full capacity, but that type of manager is rare. Most ultimately will have a system or style they think works best and will look to mould their players in that style.
Anyway, that's why managers who fail at one level often get chances again at a higher step - because the people doing the recruiting recognise that the manager aspires to something similar to what they want to see and they convince themselves that their players or their resources to sign players will then grant that player the ability to produce winning football where they couldn't achieve it before. The exact same will come into play with any big European team who eyes PV up. He might be capable of it, he might not. Who is to tell unless someone gives him that chance?
Agree with the gist of your post, but you don't think Guardiola has improved players like Sterling, Otamendi, Fernandinho, Delph, ... ?
For the first 3 years ... Some say his emotional timbre wears thin. Also his style almost by definition leaves his teams at risk of playing down to their opponents.
Well, so does an idealist such as a Pep, except he uses them in a style he lays out from the start rather than using them primarily to cancel out the other team.
I know what you're saying, but it's all semantics, and which kind of manager is best is ultimately in the eye of the beholder too. It's like asking the question "which is the better sports car, a ridiculously fast machine which handles like a dream on a racing track but is horrible to drive on the streets, or a slower, less polished car which is amazing to drive in every day use?" Your answer depends on what you value most - in this case, hyper-adaptability or the perfect endgame.
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Yes, but each of those players has the footballing intelligence to know where to be when their team has the ball but also crucially off it as well, and also the technical ability to pass with a high degree of accuracy when being pressed closely by opponents. They may not each be top 3 in their position in the world, but they need those two attributes to thrive under him. Only players at the top level can do that, and even then only certain players - there are plenty of top players who would not be able to exist in such a system.
I was really hoping you'd respond with another car metaphor to make it a hattrick.
I don't think I would have used terms like "footballing intelligence" and "technical ability" to describe Sterling before this season. Even then, Sterling is still prone to technical errors, and Otamendi still has the odd brain fart (he was a fail factory last season).
I don't think the likes of Ring / Harrison / Struna would make it at the highest level, but I think Pep could eek enough improvement out of our players to destroy MLS. And to, perhaps even more crucially in our capped league, add significant value to their transfer fees and therefore our GAM warchest.
IOW, Pep might not be able to tune a Honda so it can win the Formula One, but if he can apply enough flame decals, add a coffee-can exhaust and maybe a neon underglow, we might just win best-in-show at your local McDonalds parking lot.
Could an IndyCar driver win the LeMans 24Hr? I guess that, just like this scenario, we'll never know for sure.
(In honesty, I hadn't actually clocked that I'd used two car analogies in a row)
Actually Falastur, Graham Hill won Indy 500, Le Mans 24 hour and was Formula One World Champion.
I think you need to use a different analogy
I honestly believe that it would be better for Vieria to move on and someone else come in. I would actually go for Frank De Boer.
I know since leaving Ajax he has had a dreadful time. However, I do think he could succeed in a salary capped league.
I know since leaving Ajax he has had a dreadful time. However, I do think he could succeed in a salary capped league.
I just think De Boer would be more attacking. Also even though Ajax are the biggest club in Holland, they are still restricted in financial terms.
De Boer actually would be terrific for MLS. Hell, maybe he would be terrific for USMNT
