PEP TALK
Triumph and disaster. That’s how Kipling described “life’s two impostors” in the most quoted line from If, his paean to equanimity. But sod him, because a) it says here he’s been cancelled and b) he died in 1936 and therefore knows the square root of bugger all about Big Cup. Goodbye triumph and disaster, hello “visionary genius and bald fraud”. Those are the impostors Pep Guardiola will be wrestling with in the next few weeks as he tries to finally win Big Cup with Manchester City, a journey (drink two fingers) that resumes against Bayern Munich at the Etihad tonight.
With each passing year they don’t win it, City’s love-hate-need relationship with Big Cup gets more intense, and more scrutinised. At his pre-match press conference, Guardiola appealed for nuance and maturity, which was akin to asking people to get to know one another first at a Bacchanalian festival. “We want to try to win Big Cup but it doesn’t mean we are going to win,” he said. “Yesterday, it was the Masters. How many majors did Jack Nicklaus play in his career? How many wins out of 164 tries? Eighteen wins. Wow. He loses more than he wins. That is sport. . Michael Jordan, the best athlete for me in basketball, won six NBA titles out of 14 years. What is important is to be here, compete well, do our best… no more than that. I live my profession that way. After that if I lose, I lose. I’m not perfect.”
This is Guardiola’s seventh try with City, and his 11th since he won his second Big Cup with Barcelona in 2011. At times he has thought himself out of contention, so it’ll be interesting to see whether he tinkers tonight, as in the 2021 final against Chelsea, when he put an ingeniously subtle spin on the concept of subconscious self-loathing by picking a side without a specialist No 6 – the position Pep himself used to play, and arguably the most important position in any Guardiola team. Chelsea’s manager that night was future Bond villain and occasional Peptonite Thomas Tuchel, whose hasty appointment as Bayern Munich manager may or may have been connected to the Big Cup draw.
“I was sad but I congratulated him and Chelsea for the victory,” said Guardiola of the 2021 final. “It happened. I reviewed the game a month later. It was not as bad as I thought, but it was not at all a good enough performance to win it,” he continued, absent-mindedly writing ALL WORK AND NO PLAY MAKES PEP A DULL BOY on a bespoke pad provided by City’s official stationery partner. “It was a tight, tight game like they always have been against Chelsea. [So]: forget it and try again.” A mature and reasonable sentiment; profound even. And one that will almost entirely fall on deaf ears.
QUOTE OF THE DAY
“I play for Switzerland, and will give 100% for them. But I was born in Kosovo and I love both countries. It will be a proud moment for sure, because all of my family is going to come. It’s going to be emotional for me” – Xherdan Shaqiri tells Dan Williams about facing the country of his birth in an upcoming Euro 2024 qualifier, fleeing war as a child and memories of Liverpool.
LIVE ON BIG WEBSITE
Big Website, Big Cup. Join Rob Smyth for Manchester City 2-1 Bayern Munich, and Tim de Lisle for Benfica 0-0 Inter (both 8pm, BST) as the quarter-final, first-leg ties begin. Plus: Daniel Gallan will provide updates from Lionesses 3-2 Matildas (7.45pm BST).
RECOMMENDED LOOKING
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FOOTBALL DAILY LETTERS
“Chelsea are looking for a PERMANENT head coach [Thursday’s Football Daily]? That I would like to see!” – Tim Allen (and others).
“The situation at Chelsea was chaotic enough – introducing Frank Lampard into the equation will surely have Netflix offering Todd Boehly the inflated price of at least two more midfielders to document the outcome” – John Weldon.
“Thanks to Howard Webb and his PGMOL crew for all the money Brighton fans will save when we don’t have to travel to Europe next season” – Allan Clark.
“Nice to see David Jack get a mention [Thursday’s Memory Lane]. It’s worth adding that he was the very first player to score a goal at Wembley, for Bolton in the famous ‘white horse’ FA Cup final of 1923” – Elaine Shaw [also, his full name was David Bone Nightingale Jack – Football Daily Ed].
Send your letters to the.boss@theguardian.com. Today’s winner of our prizeless letter o’ the day is … Allan Clark.
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