Alan Shearer (right) used his privileged position to challenge Pep Guardiola after Saturday's FA Cup semi-final. Photo: Getty Images/Michael Regan
Have we reached the peak, expert? Three of them were stationed near the FA Cup stand and the BBC Sport stand after Manchester City's win over Chelsea, along with Gary Lineker and Jermaine Jenas on the portaloo. So, five ex-footballers will go against 22 players used at Wembley, the ratio is currently 1:4.4, but with rising budgets and inflation in the next decade we can look forward to an era where for every player there will be one former professional each.
<р>Pep Guardiola arrived for the post-match debrief and Lineker greeted him with risky familiarity and a welcoming hand on the coach's shoulder. No complaints from Guardiola, but at the same time Lineker swayed and almost knocked the trophy off the table on the starboard side. Forget the BBC Gladiators revival, we almost rebooted Auntie's Sporting Bloomers.
The ensuing discussion summed up several undesirable trends in football. Lineker prepared for a gentle examination of the problems facing Chelsea following their midweek defeat to Real Madrid and the pride Guardiola undoubtedly felt in seeing his players reach the FA Cup final. Guardiola disagreed, calling the schedule «unacceptable», «abnormal» and «impossible», which seemed to be a little lacking in rhetorical ballast given that his team managed to win.
Sensing danger and always ready with a sharp quip about de-escalation, Lineker said: “It might be our fault,” referring to the broadcasters. This time Alan Shearer was having none of it. Shearer is not a modern-day Woodward and/or Bernstein, but he has shown remarkable rigor and a fair amount of courage in challenging Guardiola. «But you can change the squad and play with different players,» he said.
If the average journalist tried to state this with such bluntness, Guardiola's eye roll would be visible from space. But he brought in Shearer after remembering that he had made changes after the previous trip to Europe in midweek and then lost 3-0 to Liverpool at half-time in the next game.
«We're still seeing too many missed shots»
It was nice to see him being put under such pressure and welcoming the use of expert privilege. If, as the TV panel lineup suggests, only people who have played the game at a high level can give reliable opinions about it, we still see too many failed attempts. Micah Richards didn't take notes. “We want you to be happy, Pep,” was his only contribution. Frank Lampard watched silently, like the winner of the competition.
One can understand Guardiola's confusion over why Coventry City and Manchester United played Sunday's semi-final without a midweek game, as well as his views on the mental recovery from a game like Wednesday's defeat to Real Madrid. However, whining from managers rarely goes over well, given that most people's jobs are significantly less interesting and lucrative. The complaints are even harder to stomach when you consider City's financial advantages over virtually every club in the sport's history. And choosing this weekend to complain about too many matches struck me as particularly unwise.
City had not played in an FA Cup replay for seven years when they needed a second chance to face Huddersfield in the fifth round of the 2016/17 competition. Guardiola and other coaches always pay lip service to the tradition of the Cup, but of course they would prefer that all competitions take place for their convenience. Planning to take into account European commitments, no replays obviously, and ideally a bye to the last eight in recognition of excellent possession statistics.
One thing that is always missing from discussions of managerial player burnout is which teams do with the lamps they control. Fifty-nine days after the season ended with the FA Cup Final, City will face Celtic in a pre-season friendly in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. From there it's New York, Orlando and Columbus, Ohio, for four games in 12 days with long-haul round-trip flights.
These lucrative tours are necessary in a PSR-driven world, but it's never mentioned that managers complain that they have to play too many games. Instead, Guardiola mentioned that the (extended) Champions League would start in the same week as the League Cup next season. You can guess which of these tournaments will be next on the managers' radar.
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