Money doesn’t get you wins… but it helps

Manchester City have been labelled as an artificial club that only win because they’ve got sound financial support. Pep Guardiola’s tired of hearing that so he embraced a new strategy – he embraces it and isn’t afraid to talk money.

Manchester City winning, death and taxes

Guardiola’s side is looking unstoppable at the moment. They top the Premier League table and can afford to rotate their talented players to keep the team fresh and hungry for each upcoming match. The Spaniard says that all big clubs win trophies because they’ve got the money and he is not hiding from it.

"Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Milan, Rangers, Celtic win titles as they have more money. To be there you have to spend. When Manchester United won, it was because they spent more money than the others. It’s the same with Barcelona and Real Madrid, I don’t feel we are much different to the top elite clubs but we have to accept it and do the best job we can."

Some of the comments made by the former Barcelona and Bayern boss may seem a little tongue-in-cheek, but it’s only because there are many football fans who won’t accept that football is a sport that’s heavily intertwined with money. Big results get you media coverage, support and admirers, and as a consequence, more money. And money is exactly what you need if you want to recruit more talent in order to achieve even better results and more titles.

"When you achieve what we’ve done in four years, winning a lot of games, it’s because you have to have top players. To win a lot of titles you have to have top, players. It’s not sarcastic, it’s the truth. You can’t do it with average players. When people around the world say the only reason is this, we accept it and try to do more in the club. The players are like machines, that’s why it the club is top. The players always want to win more."

Manchester City’s fortunes have changed dramatically since Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan took control of the club in 2008. A considerable amount of money has been used to turn the club from a drifting mid-table side to the powerhouse it is today. The story may not seem very romantic, but it’s not supposed to be – it’s business. Guardiola accepts things as they are and focuses on the football side of things without worrying too much about stories in the media.

"We have this story behind us. It will always be with us. It’s not just one journalist, many say money is the only reason we’re winning, so we accept it. We have to live with it."

But saying money buys success is not telling the entire story. The truth is, the money will only put you in a position to compete. Recruiting the right people for the job is an important part of any club’s success story, but financial muscle will only get you so far. Paris Saint-Germain have bought many world-class players so that they could win the Champions League, but they are still to crack it. Manchester City too, while we’re at it: they have never won the prestigious competition. And it’s not for the lack of money nor trying. Apart from millions of dollars, you require a lot of knowledge, ability, experience, support, consistency in your work and a bit of luck. Some of those things you cannot purchase.

Rather than explaining himself to the journalists, Guardiola accepts all the labels and just gets on with the job. After all, there isn’t much time to talk with fixtures piling up. The title contenders will host another in-form side in West Ham United, a team that’s thriving once more under the stewardship of David Moyes, a man that Pep holds in high esteem.

"I admire David Moyes. Just like Roy Hodgson, he has an incredibly long career and passion for the job. West Ham have got fantastic players like Declan Rice and Michail Antonio, who is always dangerous."

Keeping Man City from scoring is a difficult task, but the Scottish manager will try to set his team up to try and frustrate Guardiola’s flying attackers.

"For any team who goes to Manchester City, the word ‘clean sheet’ is the first thing to aim for because of their attacking ability and the players they’ve got, the interchange of positions and the number of times they get in and around your box makes it a very difficult thing to do. If we can get a clean sheet I’d be more than thrilled with that. Pep certainly makes you think and he gives you problems to try and solve because of the quality of his players and his team."

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And Moyes himself can confirm that having financial backing from your club’s owners doesn’t guarantee results. He learned it during his ill-fated spell in charge of Manchester United. He fully appreciates everything his counterpart is doing at Etihad Stadium.

"I heard Guardiola saying the other day that they’ve got the money to spend to try and get the top players which is always a big help and that gives you a big advantage. That is true, but undoubtedly he’s a manager who has his own style, improves players and has exciting, good football teams which is a great credit to him as a coach."

PREMIER LEAGUE - Round 26

Saturday

15.30 Manchester City - West Ham

18.00 West Bromwich Albion - Brighton

20.30 Leeds - Aston Villa

23.00 Newcastle - Wolverhampton

Sunday

15.00 Leicester - Arsenal

15.00 Crystal Palace - Fulham

17.00 Tottenham - Burnley

19.30 Chelsea - Manchester United

22.15 Sheffield United - Liverpool

Monday

23.00 Everton - Southampton