Are you okay with the English mentality towards Pep Guardiola?

In England, we are a cynical bunch. Following years and years of failure on the international stage we have become very bitter, and it seems as if that mentality is seeping into Pep Guardiola’s tenure at Manchester City.

Following a bright start at the club, things are starting to look a bit nervy for the Spaniard, and many fans up and down the country are taking great satisfaction from this. The funny part is that most of them have no real attachment to the 45-year-old, and the basis for their hatred is nothing more than ‘fear’ of the ‘unknown’ and jealousy.

SEE ALSO: 7 superstars who bottled trying out the Premier League

People have seen Guardiola succeed at the likes of Bayern Munich and Barcelona, which has led them to think he has been handed everything he’s got. Wrong. Guardiola has earned every trophy he has won and even though they were established teams he took over, it was still his job to handle the pressure and transform them into true world beaters.

So why are the English such pricks? Well, probably because of how many times we’ve been let down. The majority of our sides will never reach the lofty heights that City are currently at, and even fewer will be awarded the opportunities that Guardiola has been given.

Then there’s England. We, as a nation, are used to sporting disappointment in almost every form and it’s a shame that we feel the need to project that onto others. Because Pep has had the bollocks to come over here and try his hand, that somehow has made him a prime target due to his past in leagues that we consider inferior to our own.

It’s a shame, because what we should be doing is enjoying having such an elite manager bless us with his presence. Who knows how long his tenure will last, and fair play to the bloke for giving it a shot in such an unforgiving division.

The former Barca man has learned from some of the best managers in the history of the game and adapted all of that knowledge towards a successful individual career. Pep worked his way up and deserves everything that he achieves. Not ‘gets’, but achieves.

Whether he succeeds or fails nobody will give him the necessary plaudits, but the fact is that if it’s the latter there will be celebrations among many supporters. How very, very sad.