My GOAT, Messi won the world cup after years of criticism
My club, Arsenal won the EPL title after years of criticism
Haters on both sides have been completely and utterly silenced
"FIFA rigged it for him"
"PGMOL cup/VARsenal"
I don't care. This year, we rig another one๐ค
In 2012, Chelsea finished sixth in England and fired their manager in March. They still won the Champions League, the biggest prize in club football. The team that finished first in England that year, Manchester City, did not even make it out of the group stage.
Guardiola is pointing at exactly that gap. A league title takes 38 games against everyone else, home and away, over nine months. You cannot win it by accident. The Champions League trophy comes down to a handful of knockout games in spring. Football is a low-scoring sport, so one goal can decide who advances. Over a single match, the score barely tells you which team was better. Your best player limps off in April, a referee waves away a clear penalty, a shootout goes against you, and nine months of work disappears. Chelsea won that 2012 final on penalties, in Bayern Munich's own stadium, while sitting sixth in their own country.
His own career says the same thing. Across Spain, Germany, and England, Guardiola has won the league title twelve times. He has won the Champions League three times, and twelve years passed between his second and his third. For most of that stretch he had the best team in Europe and still went home early, beaten by the same thing he is describing.
Barcelona under Hansi Flick is the latest example. They have won the Spanish league two years running and won every major trophy in Spain the season before. Then Inter knocked them out of Europe, 7-6 across two games. The next year they lost to an Atletico Madrid side sitting twenty-two points beneath them in the league. Over a full season, Barcelona were clearly the better team. Over two nights, they lost.
A league title means you were the best team in the country for nine months. A Champions League run means you got through a few nights in spring without anything going wrong. Guardiola is asking people not to confuse the two.
Gordon seems obsessed with crossing. I watched yesterdayโs highlights, and about 90% of what he did were runs followed by poor crosses. Barcelona isnโt a team that relies on crossing to score or play, so I donโt understand why the club decided to sign him. Heโs not a technical player at all, which doesnโt fit Barcelonaโs style.