A collection of top 10 unusual quotes from Spanish coach Pep Guardiola...
Pep Guardiola is undoubtedly one of the finest managers in the world.
The Spanish coach, to date, has won nine league titles in three countries and has bagged the Champions League twice with Barcelona.
While there can be no doubts over the Spaniard's abilities as a world-class coach when it comes to speaking out in front of the media, Guardiola more often than not has given some outrageous and quirky quotes.
The Spaniard is known for being a stickler when it comes to implementing the 'tiki-taka' style of football and his Barcelona were the absolute masters of that art.
But did you know that Guardiola himself shunned the tactic after he left Spain and joined Bayern Munich?
From praising Andres Iniesta in an unusual manner to declaring before a season that Manchester City will not be spending big bucks and then going on to shell close to €100 million for Jack Grealish, here are the 10 'best' quotes from the Manchester City boss.
'I hate tiki-taka'
“I hate tiki-taka. Tiki-taka means passing the ball for the sake of it, with no clear intention. And it’s pointless.”
Pep Guardiola was quoted saying the above statement according to the book, Pep Confidential: The Inside Story of Pep Guardiola's First Season at Bayern Munich.
It was an unusual quote from Guardiola whose Barcelona side made the term Tiki-taka part of common football parlance.
'I'm not going to change'
"I won 21 titles in seven years: three titles per year playing in this way. I'm sorry, guys. I'm not going to change."
Guardiola said the above statement during a pre-match press conference (2016) in his first season at Manchester City.
The Cityzens did struggle a bit in Guardiola's first season as manager and there were some suggestions that the Spaniard should tweak his style of play to suit the Premier League.
Pep, being the character he is, was not afraid of picking a bone with the English press.
'Sebastian Kehl should shut up'
"My advice for Sebastian Kehl is: if you have a 35-point deficit in the league, it is better to shut up. We now have time to exercise because we have already won the Bundesliga."
In his second season at Bayern Munich, Pep Guardiola lost to Jurgen Klopp's Dortmund in the semifinal of DFB Pokal. After the game, Dortmund midfielder Sebastian Kehl had said that Bayern should work more on their setpieces.
Guardiola gave the above quote at a press conference in response to Kehl's jibe.
'Iniesta doesn't dye his hair'
"Iniesta doesn't dye his hair, he doesn't wear earrings and he hasn't got any tattoos. Maybe that makes him unattractive to the media but he is the best."
Pep Guardiola said the above statement during in 2009. He was praising Andres Iniesta who was enjoying a great run of form under him at Barcelona, while taking a jibe at the journalists for not hyping Iniesta.
'We are not going to buy any strikers'
"At the prices (quoted), we are not going to buy any strikers. It is impossible; we cannot afford it."
Pep Guardiola said this on Catalan radio tv3 in April 2021 when asked if he would try to sign a striker in the summer. Eventually, Manchester City did prepare a £100 million bid for Tottenham Hotspur's star forward Harry Kane. After Spurs rejected City's offer, they finally signed Jack Grealish from Aston Villa, paying £100 million.
'Everyone in this country supports Liverpool'
“Everyone in this country supports Liverpool, the media and everyone. Of course, because Liverpool has an incredible history in European competition. Not in the Premier League, because they have won one in 30 years, but it is not a problem at all.”
Pep Guardiola said this after Manchester City's Premier League tie against Newcastle United to beIN SPORTS in May 2022. He wanted to highlight his belief that most fans in England wanted his team to fail at the expense of the Reds.
'I always overthink'
"In the Champions League, I always overthink. I always create new tactics and ideas, and tomorrow you will see a new one. I overthink a lot, that's why I have very good results in the Champions League. I love it."
The Spanish manager said this ahead of Manchester City's UEFA Champions League 2021-22 quarterfinal clash against Atletico Madrid.
Guardiola often gets criticised for overcomplicating things in important matches like the 2020/21 Champions League final against Chelsea when Manchester City lost 1-0. Guardiola was heavily criticised for not starting the game with a defensive midfielder, instead fielding an attacking team.
He said the above statement to take a jibe at that particular school of thought. However, it must be noted that it has been 11 years since Guardiola won the Champions League.
'Mino Raiola has to respect the dogs'
"He (Mino Raiola) has to protect his players, so he has to know he cannot bring his players to me - a 'dog'. And comparing to a dog is not good. It's bad. He has to respect the dogs."
Pep Guardiola said this ahead of a Manchester derby in 2018 in response to late agent Mino Raiola calling him a dog and a coward.
Raiola name called Guardiola during an interview with Sunday Mirror while bringing up an old incident from 2011 when his client Zlatan Ibrahimovic was forced out of Barcelona on a loan move due to an alleged conflict with the Spanish manager.
'I’m looking forward to working with Sterling and Joe Hart'
"They were criticized because they lost and when they lose, it doesn’t depend on Sterling.
"I've heard over the last week or 10 days what happened with Sterling. Of course, he has a problem that the money they paid for him is always in the mind of the people.
"But I’m curious. I’m looking forward to working with him to try to help him show again how good a player he is. Not just with Sterling, but with Joe Hart and the other English players.
"In Barcelona, the basis of the team was Catalan and Spanish players, in Bayern Munich it was Germany and I would like to work with an English basis here."
Pep Guardiola said the above statement in a press conference right after joining Manchester City in 2016 in response to Raheem Sterling not being able to perform in his first season with the Cityzens.
The Spaniard stressed on working with English players like Raheem Sterling and Joe Hart but Hart was sent on loan spells to Torino and West Ham United in 2016-17 and 2017-18 and was finally sold to Burnley in 2018.
'In football, the worst things are excuses'
“In football, the worst things are excuses. Excuses mean you cannot grow or move forward.”
Pep Guardiola said this in 2021 when he was asked about Liverpool's injury crisis ahead of Manchester City's Premier League tie against the Reds.
It has to be noted that Guardiola in the past had himself cited injury concerns for his team not achieving success. During his first season at Manchester City, Guardiola did not win any title and he had blamed injuries for the failure.