'You have to be superman' - Pep Guardiola opens up on pressure of modern football management amid Man City treble charge - as he bizarrely admits 'I'm not as strong as Margaret Thatcher'

Posted Sunday, March 10, 2024 by Goal.com

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has admitted there is a mental strain that comes with managing a club at the highest level.

WHAT HAPPENED?
Guardiola is in his eighth season with City and his 15th campaign in elite football after coaching Barcelona and Bayern Munich. On Sunday he will face old adversary Jurgen Klopp, who is stepping down as Liverpool coach at the end of the season after being worn out by the pressure of coaching the Reds.

WHAT GUARDIOLA SAID
"All of us have up and downs as manager," Guardiola told a press conference. "The club you represent, that is normal. In Barcelona I was really tired and left. Here I stayed longer than I thought when I arrived. The demands are high for all managers. On my behalf they are a lot, everyone handles it in a different way."

THE BIGGER PICTURE
Guardiola resigned as Barcelona coach in 2012 after four years in charge of the club he supported after becoming exasperated with its internal politics. But he has learned to manage the pressure at City, helped by working alongside old team-mate Txiki Begiristain [sporting director] and former Barcelona colleague Ferran Soriano [chief executive]. "They know when I am tired or not in a good mood. They realise it, it's not a problem," he said. "Sometimes you have to pretend you are superman and perfect, win 1000 million titles, exceptional things all the time. Today the people are confused, they think 'that guy is perfect!'"

DID YOU KNOW?
Guardiola said he needs to get plenty of rest, which means he is not like former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who reportedly survived on four or five hours of sleep per night. "Margaret Thatcher was stronger than me, I need more hours," he said.

WHAT NEXT FOR GUARDIOLA?
The coach has never won at Anfield while fans have been inside the stadium - City beat Liverpool away during the pandemic-affected 2020-21 season - and knows the atmosphere will play a part in Sunday's top-of-the-table clash.

But he said his players would do everything they could to not be impacted by it. "We cannot control what happens in this stadium with referees," he added. "Not the first time, not the last, have to perform better. We have to overcome the situations. The only thing we can handle is our performance, how we are as a team."