Pep Guardiola find Man City motivation in Tennis and basketball
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola spoke about the lessons outside of football that have helped him create a better team
JEDDAH, SAUDI ARABIA – DECEMBER 21: Pep Guardiola, Head Coach of Manchester City attends the press conference of Manchester City at King Abdullah Sports City on December 21, 2023 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Tullio Puglia – FIFA/FIFA via Getty Images)
Pep Guardiola
Tennis and basketball have helped Pep Guardiola and Manchester City to stay at the top of English football.
The reigning Premier League champions are currently hunting down their fourth title in a row, and can move to within a point of leaders Liverpool with a win at Bournemouth on Saturday. That would be Guardiola’s fifth in six years, and his side are also still in with a chance of defending the FA Cup and Champions League trophies that they won last year.
Guardiola’s City are being looked at by United’s new investors as a benchmark to follow, with the Catalan admitting it is only natural to look at the teams above you for inspiration. However, the Blues have enjoyed as much recent success as they have in part because Guardiola has looked outside of football for motivation on how to turn one success into annual success.
“Yeah, incredible athletes. [Roger] Federer, [Novak] Djokovic, [Rafa] Nadal,” he said. “The biggest dynasties in the NBA. It’s not easy in the NBA to have a team like the Chicago Bulls with [Michael] Jordan. I’m not comparing with that, don’t misunderstand me. The NBA has a lot of clubs with two or three in a row.
“In Spain, in Italy, always it’s difficult, to arrive in Europe, being there for a long time, domestically, especially this Premier League. It’s nice, it means a lot for all of us.”
Those examples have helped Guardiola to become better and to make sure that his team improve, but he is also adamant that there are bigger forces at play within the club. Without longevity in the structure, success would be much more difficult.
“I have to speak with one or two people, no more than that. But underneath the CEO and Txiki [Begiristain] we have important people . The academy has important people, in every department, trying to be the best, improving to be the best.
“That doesn’t mean that when you hire someone who’s exceptional that you can learn from him but he can learn from what the club is. It’s a process.
“I’m a better manager now than eight years ago. I know the Premier League better, I know my players better, I know my opponents better. I learn many, many things from my assistant managers. So that is a process. But I cannot waste time talking with 20 people.”
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