A manager who has recently been mentioned as a possible replacement for Pep Guardiola at Manchester City has been named Coach of the Year.
There has been some more talk about Pep Guardiola‘s future, after a report suggested recently that he would be leaving at the end of next season when his contract at the Etihad Stadium expires.
Pep has been in charge at City since the summer of 2016, and there is genuine fear within the fanbase that his time at the club could be coming to an end.
It has been a remarkable spell for Pep, who has had a major influence on English football with the tactics and methods he has displayed over the years.
It is not out of the question he could yet extend.
But it seems equally as likely that he will leave, and one man who might be in the frame to replace him is Girona manager Michel…
Potential Pep Guardiola replacement Michel named La Liga Coach of the Year
2023/24 was quite the season for Miguel Ángel Sánchez Muñoz, better known as Michel.
Girona stunned everyone as they rubbed shoulders with Real Madrid, and led La Liga for the first third of the season.
Eventually, Girona finished third behind Real and Barcelona, meaning they will be in the Champions League next season for the first time ever.
Michel has gained lots of plaudits over in Spain for the style of football he has overseen, with Girona having plundered a whopping 85 goals in their 38 league games. Only Real scored more with 87. Girona also weren’t too bad defensively – only eight teams conceded fewer goals.
The extraordinary season Girona had has not gone unnoticed.
Earlier this week, Michel was acknowledged as he won the La Liga Coach of the Year gong at the KAFD Globe Soccer European Awards.
He beat Carlo Ancelotti, Diego Simeone, Ernesto Valverde and Marcelino to the award. Girona also had four players in the Team of the Season – Miguel Guttierez, Aleix Garcia, prospective new City signing Savio and Artem Dovbyk.
Michel one to watch with Pep future uncertain
So Michel has been named La Liga coach of the Year for 2023/24, which is a brilliant achievement.
He is now surely one to watch in what stands to be Pep’s final year at Manchester City, with the Spaniard having been mentioned as a possible replacement.
Getting Girona into the Champions League is an absolutely amazing achievement, and it is good that he will now get some experience of the competition, especially if City are going to consider him to replace Pep.
He seems like he could be a good fit, although it would obviously be a huge leap for him.
Michel’s style of football is described as ‘Exciting, entertaining and tactically sophisticated’ by performance analysis website Hudl, potentially suggesting him as being someone the City players could get used to fairly quickly after Pep’s departure.