THE man who picked Pep Guardiola to boss Manchester
City revealed in full
detail why he chose him — and snubbed Jose Mourinho.
City CEO Ferran Soriano wrote in his book ‘Goal: The Ball Doesn’t Go in By
Chance’ the criteria for his perfect manager.
Soriano and fellow chief Txiki Begiristain, also now at City, appointed
Guardiola — and rejected Mourinho — as Frank Rijkaard’s successor while at
Barcelona in 2008.
Guardiola’s ability to create squad harmony was key while Mourinho’s constant
battles with the media and officials counted against him.
In his 2011 book, Soriano said: “Guardiola and Mourinho’s approaches are
different.
“Guardiola displays great zeal at preserving the group’s harmony and he takes
every precaution before signing any players that might upset it.
“Mourinho, on the other hand, seems more concerned with talent and trusts
unconditionally his own capacity for managing the group’s potential
conflicts.”
Mourinho was sacked by Chelsea in December with Blues star John Obi Mikel
claiming he refused to talk with some of his players.
And Soriano added: “Guardiola always prefers working with smaller groups with
stable heirachies and not a lot of internal competition.
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“In the years that he has been leading the Barcelona first team, the number of
squad players has dimished and some of the new signings that have arrived at
the club have known they would be reserves and should not question the
existing heirachy.
“Guardiola chooses to work with 14 or 15 players that have his total
confidence.
“Their end result is a very stable playing stayl and a changing room that
doesn’t harbour much conflict.
“The obvious risk is lack of resources in case of injuries or fatigue during
the long seasons.
“It also limits in some way the alternatives that the coach has to change the
course of a game, by changing the players on the pitch for others of
significantly different skills or playing style.
“Mourinho’s strategy is different. Whether in Chelsea, Inter Milan or Real
Madrid, Mourinho works in bigger groups with many well-known and talented
players competing for the line-up.
“Mourinho assumes the complex task of managing his players’ egos in exchange
for having that much talent at his disposal.”