Michael Owen has shared whether he would rather play under Pep Guardiola or Carlo Ancelotti if he had the choice.
Frank Leboeuf was previously asked the same question and eventually, he picked the Catalan tactician.
It is certainly a tough choice to make as Guardiola and Ancelotti have a case for being two of the greatest managers in the history of the game.
Their dominance across multiple leagues coupled with their success in the Champions League makes them two coaches that will be cherished until the end of time.
The general consensus is that both managers have their strengths and weaknesses.
Pep Guardiola is known to be much more focused on a team’s structure and sticking to a tactical plan, which makes it difficult to beat his teams due to how inventive he is.
Carlo Ancelotti is often praised for the freedom he affords players, such as in Jude Bellingham’s at Real Madrid or Rui Costa’s case at AC Milan.
Michael Owen shares whether he’d rather work under Guardiola or Ancelotti
In terms of their demeanours as well on the touchline, the two greats are vastly different.
The Manchester City boss is far more animated than the Italian and he often cuts a restless figure while watching his team in action, constantly giving them instructions and even one-on-one chats amid a game.
The Real Madrid manager seems ice-cool, as he barely even celebrates when his team get on the score sheet.
Even when he does, like after Eduardo Camavinga’s equaliser on Tuesday, he still seems quite reserved.
Guardiola, on the other hand, is far more passionate, as exemplified by how he embraced Foden after his sensational strike against Real Madrid.
However, Michael Owen has revealed that he would rather be managed by Pep Guardiola than Carlo Ancelotti.
“Well, I think Pep Guardiola teaches so much about the game. He’s a student of the game, he’s probably tactically, the best manager on the planet at the moment. Possibly ever.”
“So, I would say that it would be a fascinating insight just to sit in the dressing room in a season with Pep Guardiola”, he said on TNT Sports.
Guardiola would teach one more about the sport than Ancelotti
In our view, perhaps several players would ache for the chance to learn the game from Pep Guardiola over Carlo Ancelotti.
The veteran is a legendary coach but Guardiola’s tactical mind is one-of-a-kind and to pick his brain would be a fascinating experience for any player.
The Spaniard is far more innovative as a tactician than Carlo Ancelotti as well, who is perhaps more of an expert in terms of how he profiles players than the former Barcelona coach.
As a result, say, Michael Owen would perhaps learn much more about all aspects of football while working with Pep Guardiola rather than if he did with Carlo Ancelotti.
After all, a Guardiola team changes much more than an Ancelotti side does season after season, which is an indicator of how tactically flexible the former is.