Top 5 Players Who Flopped Under Pep Guardiola, From Ibrahimovic to Philips
- Pep Guardiola is considered the greatest coach in football, and he's coached some of the best players
- Lionel Messi. Robert Lewandowski, Philip Lahm, Xavi, and Andres Iniesta played under the Spaniard
- Some top players also flopped under the Spaniard at Manchester City, Bayern Munich, and Barcelona
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Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has coached some of the best players in the world, including Lionel Messi, Xavi, Robert Lewandowski, and Kevin De Bruyne.
The Spaniard has also signed players who flopped in his time in Spain, Germany and England.
Kalvin Philips is a perfect example of a player who was brought in with high expectations but failed to live up to them.
Source: UGC
The former Barcelona coach has won major trophies in Spain, Germany, and England with Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
Most of Guardiola's signings were a hit, but some struggled to find success in his possession-heavy style. Here are the top players who flopped under Guardiola.
Top flops under Guardiola
5. Dmytro Chygrynskyi - Barcelona
The Ukrainian arrived at Barcelona from Shakhtar Donetsk in 2009 to help Pep Guardiola bolster his defensive options after they won a treble. However, he failed to live up to the standards at the club. He made 10 starts and was shipped back to Shakhtar after one season.
“I had to integrate directly into the team and that was the difficult part because without knowing the language, not knowing the ideas of Guardiola… it was difficult just to come and start to play,” he told The Athletic.
4. Benjamin Mendy - Manchester City
Mendy was meant to be a long-term solution for Pep Guardiola's left-back position during his early days as Man City boss. However, injuries and off-pitch issues derailed his progression and career.
In 2023, he was found not guilty of all allegations against him by six women. He left the club and is a free agent after leaving Lorient.
3. Zlatan Ibrahimovic - Barcelona
The Swedish striker arrived at Barcelona alongside Chygrynskyi, and although he scored 21 goals, his time at the club was underwhelming. Barcelona sent Samuel Eto'o to Inter Milan plus €45million to acquire Ibrahimovic's services.
Eto'o went on to beat Barcelona in the Champions League and win a treble. Ibrahimovic said he didn't fit in at the club. The Swede retired last year after a successful career.
“Everyone did as they were told. I didn’t fit in, not at all. I thought, just enjoy the opportunity, don’t confirm their prejudices. So I started to adapt and blend in. I became way too nice. It was mental. I said what I thought people wanted me to say."
2. Mario Gotze - Bayern Munich
Gotze is perhaps the biggest "what ifs" in football despite scoring a match-winning goal in the World Cup final. He arrived from Bayern's bitter rivals, Borussia Dortmund, in 2013. He wasn't a disaster, but he failed to live up to the lofty expectations.
Injuries were a problem for the German, and he never really became a world-class player. He returned to Dortmund but remains a hero for Germany after that iconic goal in the 2024 World Cup final.
1. Kalvin Philips - Manchester City
Philips was one of Leeds United's best players when they won promotion back to the Premier League. He joined Man City in 2022 but injuries prevented him from getting into the Man City team. He made 31 appearances for the club and spent the second half of last season on loan at West Ham, per Transfermarkt.
He is currently on loan at Ipswich Town where he is still finding his feet.
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