Friday 6 January 2012

...and Guardiola is named 'world's best' for the second time

SPAIN Since we're on the subject of el míster (see previous item), news comes in that Pep Guardiola (Pep is short for Josep in Catalan, or José in Castillian, in case you wondered) has been named the best coach in the world by the IFFHS (International Federation of Football History & Statistics), whose press release says as follows: "Selected editorial offices and experts from 81 nations across all continents took part to the election of The World’s best Club Coach, carried out annually by the IFFHS since 1996. The "Top 18" of the year 2011 is composed by 11 Europeans, five South Americans as well as one African and one Central American coach. Of these 18 coaches are three Portuguese, three Germans, two Argentinians and two Uruguayans. Among these 18 trainers, four coached English clubs, and three German and Spanish teams.>>>
"Jupp" Heynckes is, as expected, the best-placed German coach in this annual ranking of club coaches, while the Dortmund coach "Kloppo" Klopp failed with his Borussia at an international level in two consecutive years. Five coaches managed to enter the "Top 10" for the first time. Together with the Serbian Ivan Jovanović, Argentinian Jorge Luis Sampaoli and Uruguayan Jorge Daniel Fossati, there are the two Portuguese Domingos José Paciência (born on 2.1.1969) and Luís André de Pina Cabral e Villas-Boas, who, aged 33, won the UEFA League with FC do Porto.

40 years-old "Pep" Guardiola  became  in 2011 superior and for the 2nd time The World’s best Club Coach of the year. With him "Barça" won the national, the continental and the world championships and repeatedly showed fantastic performances. The title-holder José Mourinho confirmed his exceptional qualities once more and reached the second place, narrowly ahead of the old master Sir "Alex" Ferguson. After a poor year with his "Gunners", Frenchman Arsène Wenger reached only the 12th position.
The two best-placed coaches will be honoured with a gilded and silvered IFFHS-trophy in occasion of the 2012 World Football Gala."

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