Can the stars align for England and Pep Guardiola?
Lee Carsley’s prospects of becoming England’s next permanent manager seemed to diminish significantly last week. He oversaw a chaotic home loss to Greece and provided little insight into his future during a series of mixed and unclear statements to the media.
If you're looking for straightforward information, Guardiola has been very open about his stance on coaching his home country, Spain. He has stated unequivocally, "I will never be the national team coach." Therefore, he will need to seek opportunities outside of Spain to pursue his ambition of coaching at the international level.
Guardiola represented Spain on 47 occasions but identifies as Catalan and is a strong advocate for the region's independence movement. Given the current political situation, he would unlikely receive an invitation to coach the European champions, even if they truly required his expertise.
England, however, requires a manager with the caliber of Guardiola. There is no one who matches the FA's ideal criteria for a coach who has a proven track record of winning significant titles and possesses a deep knowledge of English football.
At 53, Guardiola has expressed his fascination with the idea of managing Brazil. However, he also feels a deep connection to England, which carries its own bittersweet charm.
What better opportunity for Guardiola to enhance his legacy and establish his status as perhaps the greatest coach ever than by guiding England to a long-awaited tournament victory, their first since 1966? Currently, the only item lacking from his list of achievements is international titles, with the exception of an Olympic Gold medal he won with Spain's U-23 team in 1992.
This week, Guardiola expressed optimism to the FA, stating that "everything is possible." There are strong indications that this might be his last season with City, particularly since his contract expires in the summer.
The director of football for the city, Txiki Begiristain, who has been a crucial supporter of Guardiola and played a significant role in securing his last three contract renewals, will be stepping down this summer. Meanwhile, the club is also grappling with the serious challenge of the upcoming Premier League’s 115 allegations regarding violations of financial regulations.
Pep Guardiola's time at Manchester City is nearing its conclusion as his contract approaches its expiration.
Images captured by Action through Reuters
Guardiola has consistently chosen to work with teams that already have a strong foundation for success—such as Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and Manchester City—and England possesses similar qualities; they have the skills and facilities needed. What they need to do now is figure out how to finish on top.
There could be some hurdles in negotiating the agreement, especially regarding salary. The Football Association currently pays Gareth Southgate £5 million per year, which is only about a quarter of what Guardiola makes at City. Therefore, he would need to be open to accepting a significant pay cut and might need to see the England role more as a labor of love than a lucrative opportunity.
While international football tends to have a more measured pace, it raises the question of whether Guardiola would be open to stepping into such a prominent position immediately after spending nine demanding years at City.
Similar to Jurgen Klopp, he might prefer to take some time off before deciding on his next position. However, with the qualification process for the 2016 World Cup starting in March or September, the FA shouldn't delay their decision for too long.
Guardiola is expected to make a decision about his future in the coming weeks, so that he doesn't leave City in a difficult position. This is beneficial for the FA, as they've appointed Carsley as the interim manager until after next month's training camp. They would likely extend his role if there was any possibility of attracting Guardiola over the summer.
Chasing after Guardiola would demand a lot of patience and could come with a hefty price tag, but it would also be incredibly bold and thrilling.
No manager, regardless of their nationality, would likely have a better shot at succeeding with England than Guardiola. Unlike previous foreign coaches like Sven Goran-Eriksson or Fabio Capello, he has a strong understanding of the English football scene.
If everything falls into place for England and Guardiola chooses next summer as the moment to leave City, he will have plenty of opportunities waiting for him. Therefore, the FA should do everything in their power to convince him to take on this daunting role.
