Pep Guardiola is widely viewed as one of the greatest managers in the history of football.
Therefore, when he speaks, just about everyone in the football world listens. There appears to even be a softer side to the Manchester City manager, which was on display when he publicly invited former Chelsea boss Frank Lampard out for dinner to soften the blow of his Blues dismissal.
Prior to his offer of dinner to Lampard, Guardiola also made a point that still rings true more than three years on regarding the difficulty of modern management, especially for those who take up the Stamford Bridge hot seat.
"People talk about projects and ideas, but they don't exist - you have to win or you'll be sacked," the five-time Premier League winner said in January 2021. "I respect the decision by Chelsea, but hopefully I can see Frank soon, take him to a restaurant to see him again when lockdown is over."
That wasn't even the first time that Guardiola reached out to Lampard. The former Barcelona boss praised the Chelsea legend's first game as a manager, which actually ended in a 4-0 defeat at the hands of Big Six rivals Manchester United.
"He’s so great with managers, Pep, behind the scenes the things he does with the LMA, helping other managers. He’s sent me voice notes," Lampard explained on the Overlap Extra. "I don't like giving away private conversations but in my first game as Chelsea manager we lost at Man United 4-0. We played well for 60 minutes, then got done on the counter, then bang, bang, 2, 3, it was 4-0.
“Then we lost to Liverpool in the Super Cup. Played well, lost on penalties... I was on the plane on the way back from the game, a little bit disheartened. Got a voice note from him, saying the way my team played was incredible, loved watching it, really positive chat. The voice note deleted itself though.
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"I wanted to get home and say, ‘Listen to this, Pep said I’m a good manager’. Little touches like that, make an impression on you. Sometimes you get caught up in your own world and don’t see things. He’s doing the business and sends you a voice note like that, it was special."
Since Guardiola's offer for dinner, Lampard has actually taken the reins at Everton, been sacked from that gig as well, and returned to Stamford Bridge on an interim basis which arguably went worse than his first spell at the helm.
Despite this, Lampard has admitted he is actively looking to get back into management. Earlier this month, the ex-England international told talkSPORT: "Hopefully something comes up that feels the right thing for me, I'm keen to get working again but as I reiterate, I am enjoying the [family life].
"It's an intense job so when you're out of it, it's nice to appreciate being around all my children, my young children particularly and spending more time with those."
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