I wouldn't say he's the perfect fit, but I think there are a number of factors which could make us an attractive proposition for Guardiola and him for us.
From his perspective:
- He will be under less pressure to deliver compared to Barcelona where sustaining the level that has been set is almost impossible and very draining.
- He will probably be keen to prove himself capable as a manager away from Barcelona. We are still a big enough club with potential for him to give him the opportunity to do so. Also the challenge we provide would give him a far more rounded reputation than Mourinho does despite his success.
- Even if we didn't qualify for the CL, there would be some money to spend and at least a season to try and get the team into the top 4. Even then, I don't think it would be demanded that he definitely get us into the top 4 in his first season as long as the team showed signs of real progress given the difficult situation he is likely to have inherited.
- He would not be replacing a recently successful Wenger. While the Frenchman will always hold legendary status, our recent barren spell has lowered expectations. As long as the newcomer at least matches Wenger's most recent league finishes, there is unlikely to be a heavy negative atmosphere that sometimes follows the successors to "legends".
- I think he is keen on trying his luck abroad. As a player he wanted to join Arsenal (so he claims), but even though that didn't work out he did move on to Brescia and then Roma in Italy.
From our perspective:
- We would get a manager who could attract big players and maybe persuade RVP to stay.
- We would get someone who has won more than Wenger and has dealt with the pressures of winning continuously at a big club.
- We would get someone who has helped shape this current Barca team including his stint managing Barca B. He has instilled a strong work ethic in his players and the team has a clear identity with players certain of what they have to do. He would hopefully demand higher standards of the players than Wenger has and people like Ramsey may develop and become more dependable under the tactics he employs.
- The style of play at Barca is not dissimilar from ours and may make it easier for the team to adapt to his methods.
- He has successfully integrated a number of players from Barca's youth team into their first team. Hopefully he could help make our Academy better at producing players suited to perform at the highest level.
- He bought big money players in when needed.
- The Barca wage structure is not so egalitarian as that imposed by Wenger. Guardiola is unlikely to justify offering promising youths and squad players big contracts at the expense of justified rewards for our top performers.
- His Barca teams have comprehensively outplayed United in the past which is not a real reason but great anyway.
- From a sponsors POV, if the team manages to progress in the next couple of seasons under a big name manager, then we will probably be a much more attractive proposition to them if they believe we are likely to be successful very soon. Given Guardiola's recent track record his presence makes a more convincing case that we can be genuine trophy contenders again and thus strengthen our position when some of the deals come up for renegotiation in the next few years.
On Guardiola's transfer record, it is admittedly very mixed with some disasters, but some very astute buys as well. Barcelona aim for the top so they can gamble on more costly signings with the sizeable funds they have/had. We have a far more limited budget so I think whoever comes in will be forced to be more cautious. There will be mistakes, but ultimately I believe Guardiola is capable enough to identify and sign players who will improve on our current lot.
On his "tippy-tappy" football, there is no persuasive argument on whether it will work or not. As far as I'm concerned, our players have already been ingrained with a version of it without necessarily being schooled in tactics to complement it. Long-term it may not be the most successful brand of football for the PL, but in the short-term, having someone who could improve on the current system may help to avoid the potential problems that occur when new managers drastically try to overhaul the prevailing style of the team.
