‘Pep Guardiola called me into his office and was picking my brains! Good managers never know it all. You’ve always got something to learn’: Neil Warnock tells FourFourTwo how the Manchester City manager learned from him
Neil Warnock and Pep Guardiola have enjoyed different kinds of success through very different styles, but the Catalan was still eager to learn from the veteran promotion specialist
Neil Warnock was pleasantly surprised to have his brains picked by Pep Guardiola(Image credit: Getty Images)
Neil Warnock was pleasantly surprised to have once been invited into Pep Guardiola's office at Manchester City so the Catalan could ask him for some managerial pointers.
Guardiola has racked up an impressive list of honours at the very highest levels of the game since starting his managerial career with Barcelona in 2008, going on to add yet more silverware at Bayern Munich and Manchester City.
Warnock is meanwhile a proud specialist in succeeding in the lower leagues: no manager in the history of English football has won more promotions than Warnock's eight, with Scarborough, Notts County (twice), Huddersfield Town, Plymouth Argyle, Sheffield United, Queens Park Rangers and Cardiff City.
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Neil Warnock: "That Man City team was the best side I’ve ever seen – but everybody wants to do the same as Pep"
Warnock has preferred an indisputably effective direct approach for much of his managerial career - a stark contrast to Guardiola's more patient, possession-heavy, short passing game.
Asked if he felt his counter-attacking style got an unfairly bad name, Warnock told FourFourTwo: "Most of the teams I’ve taken over have been really struggling, so the players are lacking confidence, and the Championship is hard.
"But you’re not a Championship player unless you’ve got some ability, so I found it was my strength to bring that out in the players and make them believe. You can’t tell me passing out from the back when you can’t do it is any good.
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Neil Warnock believes good managers always want to learn (Image credit: William Hill)
"I understand [it], because Pep’s come into the country and two years ago that Man City team was the best side I’ve ever seen – but everybody wants to do the same as Pep and the pressure on you is unbelievable unless everyone is comfortable on the ball.
"At Notts County I was labelled a long-ball merchant, but that’s only because none of my back four could pass water!
"People call me a dinosaur, but I was at Man City recently and Pep came over to me and we had a good chat – I went into his office afterwards and he was picking my brains! Good managers never know it all. You’ve always got something to learn."
Steven Chicken has been working as a football writer since 2009, taking in stints with Football365 and the Huddersfield Examiner. Steven still covers Huddersfield Town home and away for his own publication, WeAreTerriers.com. Steven is a two-time nominee for Regional Journalist of the Year at the prestigious British Sports Journalism Awards, making the shortlist in 2020 and 2023.
