Ibrahimovich.

Ah, a midget version of Ibra
Looks nothing like him, I was totally confused, thought it was Messi.

As much as I'm sceptical about bringing in Guardiola, we will need a big name manager to attract big players that I think we're increasingly struggling to attract.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but his record isn't great in the transfer market, is it? IMO we need a manager who can make a bunch of prudent buys off the bat more than anything.

Can't understand those wanting him, he has indeed the 2nd easiest job in football after Wenger.

Speaking of Wenger, if he couldn't make pass pass pass pass pass pass pass pass pass pass tap in- work in the PL what makes people think this other turkey will especially without his lucky little Argentinian charm.

Because he may not come in and want the team to play that way?

Course he will thats all he knows.....

He can come if he brings Messi, oh and Xavi as a human sacrifice to assuage my anger.

before fully endorsing Guardiola, I'd like to see Barca go 3 months without Messi. I respect the work he has done, but I wonder how effective he'd be without the Argentine. And in Xavi, Iniesta, David villa, Fabregas, Thiago and Sanchez, he'd still have a wealth of attacking talent at his disposal

You don't know that for sure, though, Biggus, although something tells me you wouldn't be complaining about the 'tippy-tappy' if it was Arsenal that had won the same amount of trophies as Barcelona have playing that way.

I think Pep knows full well how good his current bunch of players are and that it'd be almost arrogant of him to go elsewhere, with a lesser group and expect them to do the same. He'd have to adjust, and find other ways to win, and something tells me that even he knows that's what he has to do, to be truly recognised as one of the greats.

Truth is that no one can say whether Guardiola would have what it takes to get the job done away from Barcelona. I wouldn't bet the house on it.

At Barca he has special authority from his playing days (and the adulation of the Catalan players, for half of whom he was the greatest boyhood hero) and an incredibly talented squad. With which he's not actually winning the league this season.

However with two Champions League trophies and a league win under his belt in a short space of time, the demeanour of a winner, and a creatively effective tactical approach with the players at his disposal (crazy stacked midfields etc.) he's got to be worth a shout.

It remains to note that Arsene Wenger is quite clearly only capable of getting to third or fourth place with our current squad and constraints, so we're not comparing a hypothetical Guardiola at Arsenal with championship-winning management.

Biggus wrote:

Can't understand those wanting him, he has indeed the 2nd easiest job in football after Wenger.

And we all know how tough your boy Mourinho has had it at Chelsea, Inter and Real Madrid dont we?

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.

Guardiola has almost exclusively bought ready made stars for BIG money. Villa, Zlatan, Cesc, Sanchez, Masherano. Has he bought a single player for less than £20m who regulary features for them? I guess Maxwell fall in that category, but he was a makeweight in the Zlatan deal right? IMO he is no wizard in the transfer market exactly.

Coaches usually don't sign players on the continent. Something to keep in mind.

But that's because he fills the other needs with players from the academy. Surely that is the exact model that most Arsenal fans have been encouraging?

The Barcelona board have repeatedly said though that they are only trying to buy the players Guardiola wants. He certainly identifies the players he wants, but he doesn´t do the negotiations of course.

You are right Capi. He gets it wrong quite often though. Chygrinsky as mentioned, but neither Villa or Zlatan can be described as succesful purchases either IMO.

Also, the Barcelona academy is difficult to compare to ours. Their system with their B team in a proper league means that their kids get serious games in a system that is exactly the same as the first team. That must help a lot with the transition IMO. Also the rules in Spain about who they can draft into their academy make a difference. To make a long story short - their academy is way superior to ours.

Yes, those signings haven't all worked out perfectly but it's fair to say that has alot more to do with the unique process of adaption found at Barca than the quality of the players involved.

Re: quality of the academy. It's a little beside the point which is that he makes purchases to plug the gaps that aren't being filled, as opposed to Wenger who has taken to just playing Diaby there.