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When Pep Guardiola joined Manchester City it was clear that two warring tribes were going to make his leadership a battle about something bigger: Guardiola, and the progressive style for which he has become the standard bearer, and a glut of commentators, observers and Real Football Men who really just want to watch him fail.

[ffc_insert title=”” name=”FM17 Project” image_ link=”https://www.footballfancast.com/championship/aston-villa/villans-to-heroes-the-fm17-aston-villa-project-episode-4″ link_text=”Episode Four” ]

You could gather that much from the comments about Guardiola as he left the Bayern Munich in May. After a Champions League semi-final defeat to Atletico Madrid, Guardiola was fairly emphatically branded a failure for his failure to bring the Champions League trophy back to Munich.

For a start, that’s an obvious category mistake which should be all the more glaring given the above sentence: his failure isn’t an overall failure, just a failure to win one particular trophy. The hardest trophy to win. It’s why the word ‘failure’ makes sense when used twice in the same sentence. It’s because they both refer to different things.

So calling Guardiola’s time at Bayern Munich a failure because he didn’t win the Champions League once in three seasons is baffling to most. He failed in his brief, but no one can be so entitled as to expect to be at the top every year, or even in the space of three years.

This is Pep Guardiola’s eighth season as a top flight manager. He has already set his hands on the Champions League trophy as a manager as many times as Sir Alex Ferguson who spent 26 years as Manchester United manager. No one would call the other 24 years where Ferguson didn’t win the Champions League ‘a failure’, though it would be perfectly reasonable to point out that he failed in his brief to win the Champions League on many occasions. That doesn’t take much away from his greatness.

Because in fact, only two men have managed teams to victory in the European Cup more times than Guardiola and Ferguson: Bob Paisley and Carlo Ancelotti have both won the competition three times.

Failure to win the Champions League in three years with Bayern Munich is not, in itself, all-round failure. It might, however, be considered an all-round failure if he didn’t win it once in 26 years: something more akin to Arsene Wenger’s time at Arsenal – which, surely, won’t be considered a failure either. It might have been failure if he didn’t reach three semi-finals in three seasons. Guardiola might be a failure if had ever been knocked out of the competition before the semi final stage.

Just like this season might be considered a failure if City weren’t second in the league at the time of writing, just hours before a Merseyside derby could give that spot back to Liverpool.

It might be failure if Guardiola didn’t win the title six times in seven seasons. He’s still alive in the league in this, his eighth.

It might be failure if Manchester City didn’t break their Champions League duck in beating Barcelona on their way to the last 16, drawing Monaco in a difficult but eminently winnable knockout tie (anyone who watched their capitulation of mind, body and tactics in front of just over 7000 people at home to Lyon on Sunday night would surely nod in agreement).

The fact that the debate lacks nuance speaks volumes for what the debate is: black versus white, with no grey areas.

Why can’t we accept that Guardiola is a once-in-a-generation coach who plays football in a way that won’t necessarily work with every team? Why can’t we accept that there’s more than one way to win a match?

Guardiola is not a fraud, he has not been a failure, and any attempt to paint him as one points either to impossible standards or utter disingenuousness.

But one final thought: look at the men who are revered as the best – Ferguson with two Champions Leagues in 26 years, Wenger who hasn’t won any, Mourinho who’s won two Champions Leagues in 13 years. It can’t be impossible standards.

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Liverpool play hosts to Manchester City in the Premier League this Saturday hoping their winning run continues, having overcome Stoke 4-1 on Tuesday evening in front of a capacity crowd.

The Reds go into the clash in high spirits but so do City, who have lost just once this month and are aiming to close the gap between themselves and Chelsea at the summit of the Premier League.

City themselves have recorded three successive victories but their most recent win away at Hull was a flat and rather a lethargic affair. City took nearly an hour to get going, but the result was never in doubt.

Both teams are the two clubs most likely to catch table-toppers Chelsea and a victory could bring them three points closer to that aim – whilst defeat could see them cut adrift.

Football FanCast take a look at three key battles that could decide where the match will be won and lost at Anfield.

Sadio Mané vs Gael Clichy

Last May, whilst still representing Southampton, Mané decimated City in a 4-2 victory on the south coast, and Jurgen Klopp will be hopeful lightning can strike twice on New Year’s Eve.

Clichy is not in great form for the Citizens, but he needs added cover to prevent Mané having much impact on the contest.

The winner of this battle is likely to leave the field of play on the winning side.

Raheem Sterling vs James Milner

Like Mané and Clichy, Sterling vs. Milner could have an enormous impact on the outcome of the contest.

Sterling’s recent revival has been influential in City’s title charge. His pace, agility and ability in one-on-one situations should see him provide the necessary service for Sergio Aguero.

Milner may not be a natural left-back, but he could be playing for his starting place once the January window opens and will be keen to put in a strong performance against his former club.

Jurgen Klopp vs Pep Guardiola

The two managers are set to lock horns for the first time since 2014 in the Bundesliga. Now the duo are vying for a Premier League title and whoever can outsmart the other is going to be victorious this weekend.

Whether it’s tactics, team selection or the ability to fire up their sides, this battle is arguably the most important ahead of the contest at Anfield.

West Ham United are on the verge of clinching the signature of Southampton defender Jose Fonte, according to Sky Sports.

What’s the latest?

Fonte has been considering his options ever since lodging a transfer request earlier this month.

Numerous Premier League clubs have been linked with an interest in the Portugal Euro 2016 winner, but if reports are to be believed, the Hammers are winning the race.

Sky Sports claim that both West Ham and Southampton are close to agreeing an £8m fee for the centre-back, who has been at the South-Coast club for the past six-and-a-half years following a switch from Crystal Palace.

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Hammers boss Slaven Bilic was coy about Fonte’s possible arrival when questions were posed to him in Thursday’s press conference. He told reporters:

“Not a medical. Look, I said a few times already I’m not going to talk about names.”

Is West Ham the right fit for Fonte?

If the 33-year-old makes the move to East London, he will not be moving much further up the Premier League table.

In fact, West Ham sit 12th, just one place and one point above Southampton, so it begs the question why Fonte feels the need to leave the Saints.

Perhaps there are reasons behind the scenes that the fans are not privy to, but one thing is for certain, his arrival would be a welcome boost to the Hammers’ defence.

The Portuguese centre-back will bring experience and composure to the back line, and could potentially form a strong partnership with Winston Reid.

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There have been spellsÂthis season that Everton supporters have questioned Ronald Koeman’s ability to play exciting, attacking football in the Premier League.Having a reputation for playing defensive minded players and seeking to grind out results, the Dutchman is certainly working hard to reverse that perception.Incredibly they won 6-3 at home to Bournemouth on Saturday, a nine goal thriller that would have delighted supporters and neutrals alike.However, as this stat from Squawka shows, it is not a rare thing of late for Everton to score a barrel-load of goals at Goodison Park.

The Toffees are firing on all cylinders right now, whether against smaller teams like Bournemouth or against giants like Manchester City.

Scoring thirteen goals at home in three league matches is no mean feat and it’s a trend supporters will be hoping to see continue when they next host a game in three weeks time against Sunderland.

Koeman’s side are pushing for a European place this term and if they keep racking up the goals in the manner they have been then they’ll be right in amongst those qualification places come the end of the season.

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Spanish giants Real Madrid are the latest club interested in signing Celtic forward Moussa Dembele, according to The Mirror.

What’s the latest?

It is difficult to remember a day when Dembele’s name was not listed in the transfer gossip pages.

The 20-year-old striker appears to be attracting interest from all over Europe following his scintillating start to life in Scotland.

Dembele has scored 24 goals in 34 appearances in all competitions since joining Celtic from Fulham last year.

Now, reports The Mirror, the Frenchman is wanted by Real Madrid, who have asked to be kept updated on the striker’s situation.

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Who else is chasing Dembele?

As mentioned, the world and his wife seem to be interested in this young striker!

It is understandable why they are considering his goal threat, particularly on the elite stage.

Celtic are giants in the Scottish Premiership and that is evident by their 24-point lead at the top of the table, but Dembele also shone in the Champions League.

During the Bhoys’ short stint in the competition this season, the striker scored three goals in six appearances and two of them came against Manchester City.

The Mirror claims that German giants Bayern Munich are also keeping tabs on Dembele, while Premier League big boys Arsenal, Manchester City and Liverpool are also keen.

Let’s not forget that Chelsea were linked with a deadline-day swoop for the forward in January.

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“The Champions League is THE competition. We want to be part of it.

“To get there we have to win a few games.”

Jurgen Klopp made it pretty clear in a recent interview with the Liverpool Echo that being in the Champions league is his aim ahead of 2017/18.

Liverpool fans may not want to think of getting a place back at Europe’s top table as the ceiling of the club’s ambition this season, but it looks as though that’s the case after a title charge was somewhat deflated by a poor run of form during January that saw them slip away from leaders Chelsea, who now boast an eleven-point gap over the Merseyside club, who themselves sit fifth in a congested top end of the table.

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But here’s the thing: do Liverpool need to be in the Champions League next season to progress to the next level under Klopp?

Here are arguments for both sides of the coin, so read on and vote below…

Yes

Liverpool cannot rely on their history and reputation any longer in the transfer market. Not so long ago the Reds were buying players who remembered an era in which the club were true greats of the English game, with those who grew up in the late 1970s and 1980s familiar with the Merseysiders challenging at top of the then First Division and competing in Europe, but those days are gone. The modern era’s emerging talents are children of the 1990s and 2000s, which was a point when Liverpool struggled domestically – as backed up by their lack of a Premier League title – making Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal the teams to pick, while Manchester City’s upward trajectory boosts their appeal.

It’s bigger than simply this, though, as Liverpool are a stagnating club. Only once since 2009/10 have they been in the Champions League (2014/15), and in that time their best players have systematically moved on. Fernando Torres, Javier Mascherano, Luis Suarez and Raheem Sterling have all had their heads turned, so there’s certainly a chance that Philippe Coutinho will have to follow suit before too long, regardless of the new contract he signed. The best players want to play at the highest level and if Liverpool cannot offer that, they’ll be consistently replacing key men and standing still, rather than progressing.

There’s also the factor of attracting big names. Last summer Klopp wanted Mario Gotze, yet the German playmaker opted for Dortmund and Champions League football, despite the huge sway of being reunited with the coach that had such a big impact on his career. This may be a blessing in disguise given the player’s struggles this season, but there are surely targets out there Klopp is desperate for that will not look as dewy-eyed at Liverpool as he does them and would, crucially, be excellent in his XI.

The Anfield club have no doubt been excellent in spells this season, but it’s hard to get away from the feeling that one or two more world-class talents would have got them through a tricky winter period with more points, which may have left them as realistic challengers for Chelsea at the top of the table now.

No

What matters more to players now: Champions League football or money? The cynic in us says the latter, and Paul Pogba’s move to Manchester United last summer has done little convince otherwise. Despite being out of Europe’s top competition, the Red Devils simply outbid every other club willing to buy the Frenchman and offered him a massive salary to move back to the very same club that deemed him not good enough just four years previous. Zlatan Ibrahimovic, too, moved to Old Trafford, while N’Golo Kante swapped a Champions League adventure with Leicester for the chance to sign for Chelsea, who have no form of continental competition to play in this season.

Liverpool’s own record in the transfer market on the back of Champions League qualification is not great either. Remember the summer of 2014, anyone? Luis Suarez left despite the good feeling at Anfield and the club promptly blew in excess of £100m on new players, with lowlights being Lazar Markovic, Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert. Up until the current season, the jury remained out on the £40m+ double deal for Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana, while Alberto Moreno is out of the team in favour of a midfielder playing left-back and Emre Can’s long-term future is not overly clear.

Some of the club’s best business in the last 15 years has actually come without Champions League action, with Daniel Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho and the aforementioned Suarez all snapped up free of the lure of Wednesday evenings under the floodlights. There are players out there that fit Klopp’s system that can be purchased without dangling Champions League football in front of them, just look at Sadio Mane, who has been a runaway success at Anfield thus far.

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Arsenal have taken 17-year-old Chilean sensation Marco Allende on trial with the first-team, The Sun reports.

What’s the word?

Recommended by Alexis Sanchez himself, and being compared to the two-time Copa America winner, Marco Allende is one of the brightest young prospects within South American football and Arsenal have taken the first steps towards a deal.

The Sun reports Allende, a midfielder by trade, was training with the first-team at Arsenal and the spell is his second with the North London outfit, having previously been pictured at the club back in October.

Arsenal scouts seem keen to sign Allende, who currently plays for Chilean second-division side Deportes Santa Cruz, and he could follow in the footsteps of Alexis Sanchez by representing the Gunners- although he may not get the chance to play alongside his national hero.

So who is he?

17-year-old Allende was first noticed during the U17 World Cup back in 2015, where Allende captained his side to the Round of 16 stage, and has been nurtured by former side Cobreloa- who also produced former QPR forward Eduardo Vargas.

Dubbed by many to be the best up-and-coming youngster from Chilean football, who are enjoying a huge rise following back-to-back Copa America victories, Allende could become a huge player at the Emirates Stadium if his development go smoothly.

Should he arrive in North London, Allende is at the age where he could represent the first-team fairly swiftly but Arsenal are unlikely to be in any sort of rush to push the youngster into the limelight.

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Following three successive Championship victories, it seemed as though Aston Villa might have turned the corner, but defeat to automatic promotion hopefuls Huddersfield Town on Tuesday night brought them back down to earth.

While they didn’t play particularly badly, their lack of cutting edge in attacking areas, as well as a crucial lapse of concentration at the back, ultimately saw them end on the losing side.

It is a habit that Steve Bruce’s men must snap out of if they are to have a good run at automatic promotion next season, because that has to be the minimum aim after such a disappointing campaign this time out.

Their total of 36 goals from 35 matches is nowhere near good enough when you look at the attacking options in the squad, and perhaps it is time for some of the individuals in those positions to be rested from the starting line-up for this weekend’s clash against Sheffield Wednesday at Villa Park.

Here are THREE Villa players that need to be dropped after the midweek loss…

Albert Adomah

The winger has probably been one of Villa’s most influential attacking players this season, but when you have the likes of Jonathan Kodjia around you, you have to be doing more to supply him with chances.

At the John Smith’s Stadium on Tuesday night, the Ghanaian forward was on the periphery of the game and it was instead two of his midfield team-mates that provided a bigger goal threat.

Three league goals all season isn’t good enough for a player that has so much talent, and it might be time to find himself relegated to the substitutes’ bench on Saturday.

Jordan Amavi

This may seem a little harsh on the Frenchman seeing as he only came into the starting line-up for the Huddersfield match, but like Adomah he has to be giving so much more to the side.

The left-back was given a more attacking left-sided role in Yorkshire – and more freedom as a result – but he failed to provide any spark or lay on any chances for the prolific Jonathan Kodjia in a largely toothless display.

Of course, the serious injury looks to have affected him but for a player that showed so much promise at the start of his Villa career in the Premier League, he has to be bringing more quality to the side in the Championship.

Nathan Baker

As with Amavi, this may seem a bit harsh, but with little to play for it is time for Steve Bruce to start finding his strongest XI for a Championship promotion push next season.

While Baker has impressed in general this term, some Villa supporters will be keen to see Tommy Elphick, who was so crucial to Bournemouth’s promotion-winning campaign in 2014/15, given a regular run in the team alongside James Chester between now and the end of the campaign – starting with the visit of Sheffield Wednesday on Saturday.

For neutrals or fans of AS Monaco, the Champions League match on Wednesday night was a tremendous occasion full of impressive attacking football. On the other hand fans of Manchester City suffered through a defeat on away goals that further exposed the defensive fragility of this expensively assembled squad and continued the love hate relationship they fans have with the competition.

The question has to be whether City are going to be able to recover their composure and pick themselves up for what will be an extremely difficult domestic tie as they look to qualify for next year’s Champions League and go further than they have this season.

In the aftermath of this defeat, the media have concentrated on which players will be leaving the Etihad at the end of the season but the onus on coach Pep Guardiola will be to put together a side that can respond to the disappointment and overcome Liverpool.

Without the distraction of European football Liverpool have had the time to fully prepare for this tie with coach Jurgen Klopp already intimately aware of the methods of Pep Guardiola following their clashes in German football.

Liverpool come in to this fixture looking to overturn a one point deficit in the league to City, which could prove to be essential by the end of the season given that City also have a game in hand on their North Western neighbours.

The match is also a clash between two of the most tactically interesting coaches in European football; where will the match be won, though?

Manchester City have to refine their attacking fluency

At the start of this season when City were sweeping all before them domestically, the emphasis of their attacking play lay in the use of both David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne as dual role threats starting in the deeper number eight position before moving forward to operate almost as a double pivot in the number ten role.

As the season has progressed though and the young German winger has found his feet in the English game, we have seen City alter their attacking focus to become more wing orientated with Sane on one side and Raheem Sterling on the other.

Liverpool are still at their strongest in the attacking phase of the game where their pace and movement across the final third cause problems for most teams.

They are still, however, vulnerable in the defensive phase and the time may now be right for Guardiola to fully release his side as an attacking force. The combination of attacking through the wings and overloading the final third in the central area with De Bruyne and Silva sitting high could prove to be too much for Liverpool to handle over the course of a full ninety minutes.

Controlling the tempo of the game could prove crucial given the fast pace preferred by Liverpool and being able to access the final third in advanced central areas and hold the Liverpool defensive block back should eventually see Liverpool worn down.

Liverpool need to support their attacking phase

One of the most notable methods that we have seen from Liverpool this season has been their attempts to overload in to central areas, with the wide attackers both moving in and out of central areas to take possession of the ball and threaten the centre of the oppositions defensive block.

Sadio Mane moves from the right to support the attacker whilst on the left, Coutinho tends to drift back in to central areas in the midfield strata. These inside movements only work when there is adequate support in to the spaces that have been emptied by the wide attackers.

On the right we can expect to see Adam Lallana and Nathaniel Clyne move in the half space and wide area respectively to add depth to the attacking movement on that side of the field. On the left the supporting movements are slightly different. Whilst the left back James Milner provides width on the left we tend to see the Dutch international Giorgino Wijnaldum take up a deeper role than Adam Lallana given the preferred position of Coutinho.

These areas in and around the start of the of the final third of the pitch for Liverpool will be key in installing their high tempo attacking style and controlling the flow of the match. With the central defenders and defensive midfielders for City recently losing form and consistency they can be overloaded and pulled out of position with relative ease with intelligent movement and passing.

Conclusion

At this stage of the season almost every match becomes ‘must win’ this point is even more pertinent when you consider how tight the race for Champions League qualification has become.

Three points for either side in this match gives the winner a significant advantage going in to the final stretch of the season. At the same time, the loser will suffer a blow to their chances of accessing the richest competition in world football.

It will be a test for Pep Guardiola to pick his players up for the match given their performance in the weekm especially against a coach in Jurgen Klopp who is known as a motivational master. We could see a match that is settled by the finest of margins with the first goal likely setting the tone for the rest of the match.

If Liverpool score then they will pick the tempo up even further and look to quickly land the knock out blow. City on the other hand will look to slow the game down and retain possession to frustrate the opposition should they score first.

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Aston Villa owner Tony Xia has insisted that he has no regrets about buying the Midlands club, and fans are happy to hear it.

The Chinese businessman acquired the now-Championship outfit for £76m last summer, taking over from American owner Randy Lerner.

The club were preparing for life in the second division when Xia arrived, and there have been a handful of managerial changes since then.

Roberto Di Matteo was appointed as the permanent successor to Remi Garde, but he lasted just four months before getting sacked.

Steve Bruce was the next man to come through the door, and it was somewhat controversial due to his history coaching Villa rivals Birmingham City.

Despite that, Bruce has lasted longer than his predecessor, but it is unlikely that he will guide the club back to the Premier League this season.

As it stand, the Villans are 11th in the Championship, 11 points adrift of the playoff places with five games left to play.

On Twitter, Xia was asked if he regrets purchasing the Midlands outfit, and his response got a thumbs up from the fans.

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