It was August and the draw for the new season of the Champions League was being held in Monaco. When it was announced that Pep Guardiola became the king of European coaches for the season ending, thunderous applause broke out in the luxurious hall of the Grimaldi Hall. Everyone present made it clear how much they recognized him. However, the monarch did not take over the scepter and did not enjoy the applause. The act did not arrive at the ceremony. He was already preparing for the new season, for collecting more trophies.
Guardiola is also considered the best by Czech colleagues who had the right to vote.
Again in the jury
The poll, which is co-organised by the German specialist magazine Kicker together with UEFA, is constantly evolving and the rules are adjusted and changed every year. Last year, the coaches of the European national teams were not looking for the best colleague, this year they returned to the jury again.
Jaroslav Šilhavý, the builder of the Czech national team, was also approached, and he approached the pleasant task with the famous responsibility and diligence. The Spanish native took first place with him without much hesitation. “Guardiola trains the best team in the world, which he co-created,” pointed out Šilhavý, that the ten-year-younger species in the trade did not come to fruition at one of the richest clubs in the world, but on its growth and therefore the trophies won in recent years with conceptual work and improving the staff contributed significantly.
Guardiola took over Manchester City in 2016 from Chilean coach Manuel Pellegrini, won five Premier League titles with him and this year finally reached the highest goal and dominated the most unprestigious club competition in the world – the European Champions League. It is no longer possible to rise above the club level.
Šilhavý duly evaluated this process of patiently building the team in his voice. He was clear about who he would put first.
A colleague in the Champions League
When Guardiola patted the “eared cup” on Saturday, June 20 at the Atatürk Olympic Stadium in Istanbul after the narrowest win over Inter Milan, all the coaches who also fought with their teams in the past year’s Champions League looked at him with admiration but also with a little envy.
One of them was Michal Bílek, who somewhat unexpectedly brought Czech laureate Viktoria Plzeň into the elite company. The West Bohemian team’s ambitions were, however, completely different from the English giant’s, in the end, in the difficult group (Inter Milan, Bayern Munich and FC Barcelona), unfortunately, its wards did not get a single point.
UEFA Coach of the Year
1. Pep Guardiola (Spain/Manchester City) 602 points2. Luciano Spaletti (Italy/SSC Napoli) 2523. Simone Inzaghi (Italy/Inter Milan) 844. Roberto De Zerbi (Italy/Brighton) 705. Mikel Arteta (Spain/Arsenal FC) 676. Zlatko Dalić (Croatia) 497. José Luis Mendilibar (Spain/FC Sevilla) 288. Didier Deschamps (France) 269. David Moyes (Scotland/West Ham United) 2210. Franck Haise (France/Racing Lens) 11
And standing in the next rounds of Manchester City was not even a thought. “I have never met Guardiola personally, I have never led a team against him,” admits the native of Prague, who in his rather successful coaching career has also been selected for the national team and the quarter-finals of the European Championship in 2012.
As Viktoria Plzeň made it to the Champions League group stage, they were among the voters in the UEFA Men’s Coach of the Year Award poll for 2022/2023. And Bílek also considers Gaurdiola to be the right one to win the award. “Wherever he came, there he was successful,” he points to his two Champions League triumphs with Catalan Barcelona and three Spanish La Liga titles, as well as three more in the German Bundesliga with Bayern Munich. “This is not a coincidence,” emphasizes Bílek.
And like Šilhavý, he highlights Guardiola’s contribution to building the team. “In Barcelona, he introduced a unique style of short passes known as tiki-taka, with which he conquered Europe,” explains Bílek. “Last summer, the tall Norwegian striker Erling Haaland came to Manchester City and Guardiola adapted his style of play, even though he had not played with the tall central striker before,” the Czech coach points out.
He has only words of admiration for the award winner. “He is original, distinctive, inimitable, exceptional,” he adds adjectives. “And he lives by football,” Bílek adds another important value.
Slovakia for the first time
According to the criteria in the survey, even clubs that presented themselves in the basic groups of the European and Conference League had the right to vote. For the first time, the ballot went to the secretariat of the Moravian 1. FC Slovácko. In Group D, it finished in last place without further promotion, the opponents – Nice, Partizan Belgrade and 1. FC Köln – were beyond the strength of the continental newcomer.
But even so, it was an entry in history embellished with the right to search for the best coach in Europe. And Slovak coach Martin Svědík only agrees that Guardiola took the honor. “He deservedly won the award, the results speak for him. In all his positions, he proved that he is one of the best coaches in the world,” he declares. “He can work with anything and football moves, creates new trends,” he points to the Spaniard’s innovation. “He comes up with new ways to play that others can draw from and take a lot from,” he finds inspiration.
Even he has not met Guardiola – yet – in person. “But I follow the teams he led,” reveals Svědík.
Championship out of reach
The biggest football event during the period under review was undoubtedly the World Cup in Qatar at the end of last year. “It’s always the biggest holiday,” explains Bílek, who as a player participated in the 1990 World Championship in Italy, where the Czechoslovak team reached the quarterfinals.
However, Argentina’s gold from Qatar was not reflected in this poll. “I could not vote for the coach of the Argentine world champions Scaloni among the three best coaches, because he did not work in Europe,” Šilhavý explains that he respected the given criteria.
However, there were also other experts who led their charges to medals. “For the second and third places, I took into account the world championship,” Šilhavý defends the fact that he placed the head of silver France Didier Deschamps in the second position and the Croatian Zlatko Dalić on the bronze step.
However, Guardiola pushed aside not only the heroes of the Qatar tournament and other aspirants to the throne and put on the royal crown. The reason was not only Manchester City’s unique season, when he collected four trophies, including the most prestigious Champions League, but long-term results. “Wherever he came, he had success,” Bílek repeats with due respect.
2023-10-05 04:16:26
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