bodyType

customContents

entityId

entityUuid

articlePageQuery

filter

article

articleBaseAdvertisingInfoArticle

articleListArticle

articleSeoArticle

hooksArticleAcknowledgementGateOverlayArticle

hooksTrackPageViewArticle

hooksContentInterestArticle

articleLinkingDataContent

hooksAmpRedirectArticle

articleSchemaContent

liveArticle

advertZone

sentiment

contentLock

topics

types

sections

paywallTypes

createdDate

publishedDate

sponsorType

urlAlias

moreOnThisArticles

commentCount

authorLocations

authors

corrections

displaySlideShow

multimediaEmbed

printHeadline

seriesContainer

articleSpeeches

socialHeadline

headline

images

flag

firstTopic

glossary

flattenTypeIds

image

relatedLinks

relatedNewsletters

__typename

sponsor

pdfFiles

seriesReverseOrder

series

disableOffPlatformContent

published

updatedDate

summary

subHeadline

body

keywords

readingTime

customTimezone

liveContents

Agence France-Presse

For one of the most decorated coaches of all-time, boasting a 75 per cent career win percentage and 21 trophies, Pep Guardiola’s record of two wins from his last 11 away Champions League matches is an uncharacteristic stain.
Manchester City’s long courting of the Catalan was not just to dominate at home, but secure City’s place amongst the European elite by winning the Champions League.
Despite reaching the last four for the first time in their history last season, Guardiola insists they are far from the finished article.
“If you ask me if we are ready to compete in Europe, then we are not ready,” he said last month despite a stunning 10-game winning run to start his tenure.
That streak, though, was snapped on their first trip in the Champions League proper in a pulsating 3-3 draw at Celtic three weeks ago.

Guardiola summarised the madcap ‘Battle of Britain’ in a famously raucous Glasgow atmosphere as a “good test” of where City are away from home in Europe.
Yet, as he returns to the club that made him as a player and a coach in Barcelona on Wednesday, Guardiola and City will get a far better look into how far they have to go to be Champions League contenders.
'The biggest ****-up of my life as a coach' - behind the scenes of the worst defeat of Pep Guardiola's career
“The last decade, the last 15 years they dominate football the way they play,” said Guardiola after Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Everton. “Barcelona is special [in] the way they play because it is a machine.”
Much of that dominance and style of play is thanks to Guardiola.

His 2008-2012 vintage side that won 14 trophies and even more hearts for its mix of intense pressing and penetrating passing is widely regarded as the best Barca team of all-time.
However, the political machinations and media demands, not to mention two years of baiting by then Real Madrid boss Jose Mourinho took its toll.
“Four years as coach of Barcelona is an eternity,” he said when announcing his resignation in April 2012.
“I am empty and I need to replenish myself.”
Tottenham Hotspur hand Pep Guardiola his first Manchester City loss
He did so firstly via a sabbatical in New York and then three largely successful years at Bayern Munich that lacked a crowning glory – winning the Champions League.
That he fell that step short with Bayern is due to three visits to Spain in the semi-finals for the past three seasons. Each time he left defeated without even managing to score a goal.
Under his old teammate Luis Enrique, Barcelona have moved on too. A Lionel Messi-inspired 3-0 win over Guardiola’s Bayern in 2015 allowed Enrique to equal his friend’s remarkable achievement of delivering the treble in his first season in charge.

The style has been tweaked too. Whereas the midfield axis of Xavi and Andres Iniesta used to provide Messi as the focal point of the Barca attack, the Spanish champions can now call upon three of the deadliest strikers in the world.
Luis Suarez and Neymar complement Messi’s skill set and give Barca a counter-attacking dimension not so prevalent in the Guardiola era.
“They are three amazing players in front,” added Guardiola.
“They are amazing on the counter-attack and they have a good build-up, so they are a good team.”
Guardiola will be warmly welcomed by the vast majority in the stands and his old charges on the pitch, if not in the presidential box where old political divides remain.
That has much to do with the reason why Guardiola has only been back to the Camp Nou one other time than Bayern’s visit in the past four years.
Sitting next to his father as a fan rather than an invited guest, Guardiola howled in astonishment at a virtuoso Messi display as Barca beat City 1-0 in March 2015.
Only a series of outstanding saves from Joe Hart prevented more severe punishment for the City that night.
Having unceremoniously expeditated England’s number one for another former Barca man in Claudio Bravo, the first cracks in the Guardiola reign may begin to form if Barca prove a gulf still exists between the two on Wednesday.


Uefa Champions League: little Bodo Glimt take next step on giant-killing journey

Mjallby, a team from tiny fishing village, win Swedish league title on shoestring budget

Asian Champions League: ex-English Premier League players set to star as new season starts

Holders PSG and rivals await Champions League draw

Uefa Champions League

He’s one of the best coaches of all time – so how come Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola has won only two of his last 11 away games in Champions League?

Manchester City's manager Pep Guardiola during the English Premier League soccer match between Manchester City and Everton at the Etihad Stadium, Manchester, Britain, 15 October 2016. EPA/Nigel Roddis

Britain Soccer Football - Celtic v Manchester City - UEFA Champions League Group Stage - Group C - Celtic Park, Glasgow, Scotland - 28/9/16 Celtic's Kolo Toure in action Reuters / Russell Cheyne Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY.

FC Barcelona's Lionel Messi, left, talks with his coach Luis Enrique during the Spanish La Liga soccer match between FC Barcelona and Deportivo Coruna at the Camp Nou in Barcelona, Spain, Saturday, Oct. 15, 2016. (AP Photo/Manu Fernandez)

Britain Football Soccer - Manchester City v Everton - Premier League - Etihad Stadium - 15/10/16 Manchester City's Nicolas Otamendi (C) and Fernandinho in action with Everton's Romelu Lukaku Reuters / Phil Noble Livepic EDITORIAL USE ONLY. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or "live" services. Online in-match use limited to 45 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. Please contact your account representative for further details.

'The biggest ****-up of my life as a coach' - behind the scenes of the worst defeat of Pep Guardiola's career

Pep Guardiola can hardly watch on the bench. Photo: AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo celebrates after scoring Real's third. Photo: EPA

Real boss Carlo Ancelotti celebrates. Photo: AFP

Real's Pepe celebrates as Bayern try to come to terms with the defeat. Photo: AP

Pep Guardiola admits he made a 'total f***-up'. Photo: AP

Cristiano Ronaldo's free-kick hits the back of the net to add insult to injury late on. Photo: Reuters

Franck Ribery and Bastian Schweinsteiger celebrate in the first leg in Spain. The second leg would be a different story. Photo: AFP

Bayern fans watch, unamused to say the least. Photo: AFP

Sergio Ramos heads in the second. Photo: AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo slots in the third. Photo: AFP

Cristiano Ronaldo fires in the fourth. Photo: AFP

Sergio Ramos celebrates the opener. Photo: AFP

How Pep Guardiola ignored Alex Ferguson's pleas to replace him – and 7 other things we learned from United legend's new book

Alex Ferguson's new book is about lessons in leadership. Photo: AFP

Mario Balotelli scored a double against United in 2011. Photo: AP

Spurs got every last penny out of United for Dimitar Berbatov. Photo: AFP

Jurgen Klopp was also on United's radar. Photo: AFP

Paul Pogba left United - at the urges of his agent, Fergie feels. Photo: AFP

Ryan Giggs will become a top manager, says Fergie. Photo: Reuters

David Moyes flopped at United. Photo: Reuters

Pep Guardiola was Ferguson's first choice to replace him. Photo: Reuters

Beckham is notably left off Ferguson's list of world-class United players. Photo: AP

Don't forget I get more money than you, Ferguson tells Wayne Rooney. Photo: AP

Ferguson takes a question from the press. Photo: AP

Ferguson's new book is co-written with tech billionaire Michael Moritz

Sport

Football

As manager returns to Barcelona, he knows he has to turn surprisingly poor record around


He’s one of the best coaches of all time – so how come Manchester City’s Pep Guardiola has won only two of his last 11 away games in Champions League?

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}As manager returns to Barcelona, he knows he has to turn surprisingly poor record around

As manager returns to Barcelona, he knows he has to turn surprisingly poor record around