Former Manchester City captain Richard Dunne does not believe Pep Guardiola’s tactical acumen is his greatest attribute.
Guardiola has just led City to their fourth Premier League title in five years – but Dunne thinks it is actually his man-management skills that lie behind their outstanding successes.
“He has so many world-class players that do not play every week and yet he manages to keep them all happy and interested,” Dunne told BBC Radio 5 Live Breakfast.
“When they come on, they always give their all and that’s the sign of a really good manager.”
City have already added another superstar to their squad for next season with the imminent arrival of Erling Haaland from Borussia Dortmund.
Although his style may require a shift in gameplan from City, Dunne does not think Guardiola will have any problems accommodating the Norway striker.
“There will certainly be a period of adapting,” he said. “But with the quality of players that City have, they have the intelligence to change and mix things up.
“How Guardiola works it out will be intriguing – but if Haaland hits the ground running, what chance does anyone else have?”
Personal life
Guardiola was born to Dolors and Valentí. He has two older sisters and a younger brother, Pere, a football agent. He is an atheist. Guardiola met his wife when he was 18. They married on 29 May 2014.They have three children named Maria, Màrius, and Valentina. Following his tenure as Barcelona’s manager, he stated that he would move to the United States to live in Manhattan, New York, for a year, until he decided on his future.
To prepare for his position as the manager of Bayern Munich, Guardiola studied German for four to five hours each day. In the same year, Tito Vilanova, former assistant manager at Barcelona under Guardiola, was in New York for the treatment of a life-threatening throat cancer. Vilanova was disappointed that Guardiola only saw him once in two months in the city, stating “He’s my friend and I needed him, but he wasn’t there for me.”
