"I’m Losing My Mind": Guardiola's Candid and Alarming Confession

Pep is facing not only a professional crisis but a personal one, too.

The nature of genius is still debated. With advances in neuroscience, the link between genius and madness has gained some empirical footing. There are two prevailing theories: genius and madness go hand in hand, and genius is a form of madness.

Pep Guardiola is a genius. If anyone disputes this, they only watch football on special occasions. It’s not just about the trophies but also his influence on other coaches. Marcelo Bielsa, for instance, has a few trophies for his name. Still, his vision was ahead of its time and inspired dozens of coaches to experiment. Bielsa is a talented madman. That’s not just an opinion; in his homeland, he’s nicknamed "El Loco" (The Crazy One).

On the other hand, Guardiola has both trophies and a revolutionary legacy. In the early 2010s, he infected football with "tiki-taka" — its symptoms still linger, even though the Spaniard has long renounced that style. And he kept inventing. Any of Pep’s unusual tactical moves quickly becomes a staple in football. If Pep tells Kyle Walker, a right-back, to play as a defensive midfielder during possession, half of Europe’s teams will try it out in training the following day.

Now, onto the madness. Guardiola has always been somewhat peculiar. You can read about his unconventional communication style in Zlatan Ibrahimović’s autobiography. Pep didn’t like Zlatan, so he stopped talking to him. Whether Ibrahimović was starting a game or not, Pep relayed the decision through intermediaries — other players. Over the years, however, the Catalan seems to have become more open and friendly. And less dogmatic in his ideas.

But Manchester City’s recent poor run of form, with just one win in ten matches, has revealed the real Guardiola — or so it seems. Of course, we shouldn’t dismiss the possibility that Pep is simply diverting attention away from his players. After all, he does enjoy a bit of theatrics. But his self-inflicted scratch marks and strange, contradictory statements are concerning. Let’s consider the past few days.

Before the Champions League match against Juventus, he hinted at the nearing end of his club coaching career. He described his exhaustion as irreversible. According to Pep, the only thing that might prevent him from retiring is a national team job, though even that would require serious consideration. He also regretted extending his contract, saying he’d rather play golf than deal with this "mess."

After the loss to Juventus, Pep remained calm: "I’m equally stable after wins and losses." Yet just hours later, he alarmed football fans with the following statement:

"I’m not sleeping well. I’m having digestive and skin problems. I get nervous because I mess up a lot. Sometimes, I feel like I’m losing my mind. My mental state is ugly right now. But I know this will pass," Guardiola told Amazon Prime.

While the final philosophical remark is somewhat reassuring, the rest sounds like a cry for help. It’s not our place to diagnose, but the situation doesn’t look healthy. Pep is an idealist to the core, as he’s often emphasized. With so much spiraling out of his control, he’s facing a severe personal crisis.

Foreign fans have proposed another interesting hypothesis: the ongoing investigation into Manchester City’s financial violations could be the root of Pep’s troubles. Severe penalties, including stripping City of titles, are possible. This would devalue nearly a decade of Guardiola’s work. Even if the club escapes with fines or a points deduction, it’s likely to be a painful blow to Pep’s psyche, as public perception of his achievements would be tarnished.

Perhaps Guardiola was indeed too quick to renew his contract. Maybe he should have followed Klopp’s example and taken a well-deserved break. But it’s not our place to give advice. And gloating over someone’s struggles is the last thing we should do, no matter one’s feelings about City or Guardiola. Pep is a great coach, and if he breaks now, it would be one of the greatest injustices in sports — or even a personal tragedy.

But let’s not paint an overly grim picture. The link between genius and madness is still unproven, City’s season isn’t lost yet, the commission’s verdict is unknown, and Guardiola’s statements should still be taken with a grain of salt.

Published by Patrick Jane
14.12.2024