Pep Guardiola vs Sir Alex Ferguson: Who is the best Premier League manager of all-time? | OneFootball

With the news that Pep Guardiola is likely to leave Manchester City at the end of this season, comparisons have been made between him and Sir Alex Ferguson over who is the greatest Premier League manager of all-time.

While few will doubt Guardiola is the manager of his generation, Ferguson’s achievements with United mean it is difficult to say he is the best manager we have ever seen in the Premier League era.

Success as a manager is measured in trophies but when it comes to comparing two greats, there are many more factors to consider.

Here’s how Pep Guardiola and Alex Ferguson compare in the Premier League era.

Trophies

We will start with an obvious metric – trophies.

In terms of just numbers, Ferguson has Guardiola beat with 26 major trophies during his Premier League stint compared to the 17 of Guardiola but the Scot did have 11 more seasons in the league than his City counterpart.

If we boil it down to trophies per season, Ferguson won an average of 1.24 trophies per season while Pep’s record is at 1.7.

Of course, not every trophy is equal either. Ferguson won 13 league titles compared to Guardiola’s six but that means Ferguson missed out on the league in seven seasons while Guardiola failed to win it four times. That means Guardiola has a 60% winning record while Ferguson’s is at 62%.

In terms of the Champions League, it is fair to say both underperformed and could have won more trophies, albeit it is very difficult. Fersuon has two to his name but probably should have more while just one for Guardiola is under par.

In terms of domestic trophies, the two are about level with Ferguson’s five FA Cups and four League Cups compared to Guardiola’s three FA Cups and five League Cups.

Both managers also have other European trophies on their record. Each have a Club World Cup while Ferguson has an Intercontinental Cup as well, which was a precursor to the Club World Cup.

Guardiola has a Super Cup as well, which Ferguson did win but before the Premier League era.

You can see how their trophies stack up here.

Achievements

Away from the silverware, each manager has plenty of records on their CV.

Ferguson has the record for Premier League wins and points and picked up 11 Manager of the Season gongs.

His teams went unbeaten at home three times compared to Guardiola’s once. United also conceded the fewest Premier League goals at home with an astonishing four in the 1994-95 season.

As for Guardiola, his City teams can claim to have the most consecutive Premier League titles, the biggest title-winning margin, the joint most wins in a season, the most away wins in a season, the most consecutive wins, the most away wins and the most goals scored in a year. Guardiola’s City side also scored 100 points in the 2017-18 season, the highest in a single season.

Both managers have also achieved the treble, the only Premier League managers who can claim that.

How the club changed from their first day to the last

When talking about a manager’s legacy, it can be a good test by looking at their first day compared to the last.

Ferguson arrived at Manchester United on November 6, 1986. The league at that time was a Merseyside monopoly and one of Liverpool or Everton had won it every year since 1982. Manchester United had not lifted the First Division since 1967.

The club was 21st in the league when he was appointed, but more than that, the club had a toxic drinking culture that had taken over.

Compare that then to the winning machine Ferguson left behind in May 2013.

The transformation of United cannot be understated. When he was appointed, Liverpool had 18 league titles compared to United’s seven. When he left, it was 20–18 in United’s favour and alcohol was reserved for celebrations and not just a post-training outlet.

As for Guardiola, City have undoubtedly gone up a level since he has been in charge and infrequent title wins have become expected trophies but the club was being built towards that even before Guardiola was put in charge. The City higher-ups designed a plan in which Guardiola was the final piece, so you would have to argue that Ferguson changed United more than Guardiola did City.

Impact on the wider league

If Ferguson changed United more than Guardiola did City, Guardiola changed English football more than Ferguson did.

The 4-4-2 with pacy wingers was the hallmark of his early days, and while that did evolve to 4-2-3-1 and 4-3-3 in his later career, it was always rooted in that typical British style of football.

Guardiola, meanwhile, came to the league and applied his Cruyff/Barcelona style to a division that many sceptics suggested would be unadaptable to the tiki-taka style.

His first season was not easy with the five-at-the-back Chelsea winning the league but a few key signings and City became the dominant force of English football.

That style went far beyond City too. Go to any league game in the country these days and you will see keepers passing short out of the back. You will see ball-playing defenders. You will see players working the ball into the box rather than taking long shots or getting crosses in. That style has even trickled down into non-league and overall, footballers are far better on the ball now then they were in Ferguson’s era.

Guardiola has had the biggest influence on English football than any manager in history and if England win the World Cup this summer, Guardiola’s philosophy and the players it has inspired will be due a lot of the praise.

Mikel Arteta one of only SIX managers that have ever finished ahead of Pep Guardiola

Transfers

Transfers make or break a career and while managers these days tend to ask for a profile of a player and get what they’re given, both Ferguson and Guardiola had a huge say in the comings and goings of their teams.

Ferguson worked alongside David Gill and some of their best transfer dealings include Peter Schmeichel, Eric Cantona, Cristiano Ronaldo and Denis Irwin. On the flip side, you have the likes of Bebe who cost a pricey £7.4m in 2010.

The best thing you can say about Ferguson’s flops is other than Bebe, none of them cost a huge amount. Massimo Taibi was £4.5m, David Bellion was £3m. Eric Djemba-Djemba was £3.5m.

As for Guardiola, the first thing to acknowledge is that scouting is simply a lot better these days than in Ferguson’s era and so outright flops are not all that common at a well-run club.

What you would say about Guardiola is that he has not unearthed talent in the same way that Fergie did. Haaland, Stones and Bernardo Silva were clearly on their way to the top and their hefty price tags represent that.

But overall, Guardiola has hardly ever got it wrong with transfers. Critics will point towards the fee paid for Jack Grealish but he was an integral part of City’s treble-winning season, something they would have gladly spent £100m for. €57.5m spent on Benjamin Mendy looks a waste now but Guardiola cannot really be blamed for that one.

Guardiola’s worst signings actually came at the start of his City tenure. Nolito never really worked out while Claudio Bravo was a disaster.

Developing players

A criticism of late-era Arsène Wenger was that he never improved players and that is one of the most crucial skills a manager can have.

Both Guardiola and Ferguson have improved players in their careers. The latter’s would include Wayne Rooney, Ryan Giggs, Rio Ferdinand and Darren Fletcher but his best was undoubtedly Cristiano Ronaldo, who he turned from an exciting young winger into a ruthlessly efficient goal machine.

Guardiola has improved players too and Raheem Sterling and Stones are the two that stand out as most improved under the Catalan.

Conclusion

Picking between Ferguson and Guardiola comes down to how you see football.

If basing it on frequency of trophies alone, you would go Guardiola, but there will be those who believe longevity is the true test of a manager and would look at how Ferguson regenerated his squad multiple times in his 20+ year stint.

Plenty will also judge a manager by how he influenced the game, and Guardiola does take it on that metric.

As for transfers, the two are similar, if Ferguson did unearth hidden gems more regularly, but both took players and made them world class.

Overall, it’s hard to choose an outright winner, but for his longevity in the league, trophies won and how he transformed his club, you would have to go with Ferguson. Just.