Chelsea League Cup final: Maurizio Sarri and Pep Guardiola’s mind games

Chelsea manager Maurizio Sarri and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola have both had their say before the League Cup final. It smacks of mind games.

Jose Mourinho is the master of mind games. He has almost never said something at a presser without it being carefully calculated to have a certain effect. But he wins no points for being subtle.

Pep Guardiola is secretly adept at mind games as well, but the way he packages it is so sneaky that few every even notice. Maurizio Sarri may be cut from the same cloth.

The build up to the League Cup final has given both managers a chance to get into the head of the other. How both have gone about it has been interesting.

Most of the spotlight has come on Guardiola’s comments. He “wishes” he had not beaten Chelsea 6-0 given the repercussions on Sarri. Guardiola is a big admirer of Sarri and in part felt like such a big win would motivate Chelsea and in part felt like he is to blame for the current pressure.

Of course, Guardiola is always an admirer of the teams he beats. Go watch his reaction against any team he has ever lost to; it is rarely so full of admiration.

No, instead what Guardiola is doing is what he always does. Guardiola loves to feign respect for his opponent to make them overconfident. And overconfidence against City is a target. Furthermore, his regret at beating Sarri 6-0 is not out of sympathy. Guardiola would love to beat Sarri 6-0 every time they face off so why not keep him around?

Of course the media and fans blew the comments of Guardiola up and used it as “proof” that Chelsea is broken and Sarri needs time. But the only reason Guardiola wants time is because he knows Sarri is a beatable opponent.

Sarri, for his part, feels the pressure. That is clear enough when he points to Arsenal and tries to deflect attention. But the notable thing that will be a soundbite towards Guardiola is how Sarri is preparing for the match.

The Chelsea manager does not want to overload his team with instructions, so he will keep the session on City brief. Of course, Chelsea has already played City twice this season and should know what to do. But this will cast doubt in Guardiola’s mind.

This deviation from the norm could end up meaning nothing but it could cause Guardiola to second guess. If he thinks this means Sarri is going to adapt, like in the first match, that might make Guardiola adapt in turn. Any second guessing or doubts could cause things to change.

But the most likely thing is that Sarri will be sticking with what he knows and Guardiola will stick to the same. One manager will look to adjust after 15 minutes and the other will not. This whole narrative has played out already this season bar the one time Chelsea deviated and got the job done as a result.

Sarri’s job is on the line. If there was a time to offset Guardiola with the unexpected, the time is now.