After Argentina won the 2022 FIFA World Cup, defender Nicolas Otamendi disclosed a conversation he had with his former Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola. He has played under Pep for the English club Manchester City FC in the English Premier League.
Otamendi was a member of the Albiceleste team that won the World Cup for the third time in the history of the country in Qatar. The captain of Benfica participated in all seven of Lionel Scaloni’s team’s matches as they defeated France in the final encounter of the FIFA World Cup.
Nicolas Otamendi: “Pep Guardiola called me after the World Cup, and he asked me how we managed to have that mentality we had after blowing the 2-0 lead and being able to protect the result and play like that how we did in the extra times.” @PolloVignolo pic.twitter.com/lThsiIxFm7
— All About Argentina 🛎🇦🇷 (@AlbicelesteTalk) December 5, 2023
Otamendi revealed details of a conversation he had with Guardiola, during which the City manager praised Albiceleste’s mindset and could not believe how the game unfolded. Through AlbicelesteTalk on X, he stated: “Pep Guardiola called me after the World Cup, and he asked me how we managed to have that mentality we had after blowing the 2-0 lead and being able to protect the result and play like that how we did in the extra times.”
However, Argentina had to earn their victory the hard way, defeating the French team 4-2 on penalties following a 120-minute 3-3 stalemate. Despite giving up a 2-0 lead in the match, Scaloni’s team managed to win. That match will go down as one of the greatest matches in World Cup history.
Nicolas Otamendi considers Pep Guardiola as a “Beast” of a boss
Nicolas Otamendi, a former Manchester City defender, has publicly declared that Pep Guardiola is an extremely tough manager, branding him a “beat” of a boss. He recently disclosed that, after providing his players with all the necessary resources to succeed, the Spanish manager always expects his players to develop on their own.
In an interview with The Athletic, when asked about Pep, Nicolas said, “A beast,” There’s nothing better than having a coach like Pep. Honestly, I was lucky to spend those four years with him.” Pep has been one of the best managers in the modern-day soccer. Many soccer fans would argue that he has changed soccer completely.
Otamendi Stats: Nicolas Otamendi has scored three goals in his last 10 Premier League games, more than he had in his previous 64 games (2). [Opta] pic.twitter.com/zpAD3B7a3m
— City Chief (@City_Chief) December 4, 2017
“It’s important to listen to every instruction Pep gives you. He’s a demanding coach. He doesn’t allow you to relax: you have to compete with the other player for your position every day, he improves you technically. He works on your positioning, your aggression, everything, I tried to absorb all the information Pep gave me, to learn from everything he said to me.” Nicolas talked about Pep and the new philosophies that he learned.
Pep has played an important role in shaping many talents over the years, one of them is the legendary soccer player Lionel Messi. During his time at Barcelona Pep had the likes of Messi, Xavi, and Iniesta at his disposal, the most dangerous side back in those years. Pep will always go down as a soccer great and fans will talk about him for years once he decides to retire from the sport.