The duels between Mikel and Pep continue; let’s enjoy the spectacle

I should have sent this piece a week ago, but I was distracted by a sad event I had to attend to, and as a result I missed the exciting climax to the English Premier League.

Almost exactly twelve months ago to the week, I had written about the unfolding rivalry between two Spanish soccer coaches plying their trade in England who had, though friendly and amicable, gotten themselves into a situation where they were now locking horns in a most enticing way.

The two Iberians in question were/are Pep Guardiola and Mikel Arteta, coaching Manchester City and Arsenal respectively, the former having just won an unprecedented fourth successive Premier League title in a row and the latter having finished as runner-up for the second year running.

The story I told last year told a Wild West tale of a young gunslinger starting out on his career, who learns about a maestro somewhere near his stomping ground who has been winning every gun battle coming his way, and the young man, eager to show his mettle and find a place in the annals of legends, going out to seek knowledge at the feet of the old gun guru.

Read: ULIMWENGU: Gunners are resilient; sitting pretty in Purgatory

After learning the ropes, the youth set out into the open savanna where he scores impressive victories before coming back to his old master’s patch to challenge his erstwhile teacher to a showdown.

The master obliges, I said back then, but the young man is beaten, and having had his life spared by the undisputed master, goes away to lick his wounds and prepare for a return match, a grudge match par excellence.

That was last year, and after a twelve-month hiatus, the two were at it again, and once again the old ace beat his protégé to the title, again.

So, issue settled, you would now say? The young challenger surely will have given up the pursuit? The sly old fox is still sharpening his skills, and although a tad slower than before, his eye has not lost its twinkle and his hand is as deft as ever; he actually can now shoot with both hands.

The young man is beaten again, but there is a difference, in fact not a difference but rather much of a muchness. For anyone high up in the Sierra who has been following this drawn-out saga for the past three or four years, it is now evident that though the young man may be a little mad in his blind pursuit of his old master, there seems to be some method in his madness.

A pattern has since emerged showing that the young pistolero isn’t rushing into every showdown headstrong and thoughtless, but rather that he is taking every episode in the running battle with his erstwhile as another master class full of lessons to be internalised and put to good use at some future date.

Who cares to remember that some four years ago his team was struggling to get a berth in some junior European league, and that his place in European soccer was now a foregone conclusion long before the last lap?

Indeed, not only was the young man’s team so assured it would be in Europe for the coming season that hardly anybody talked about it anymore. And the deciding moment for who would take the league title was kept alive and iffy until the very last match, all the way to the wire — something that had not happened for a long time.

The take-away object lesson here is the importance of focus, concentration, keeping both eyes on the prize as you chase your dream. Too many of us, too often, lose focus in whatever our quest may be, get disarmed too soon, too often tempted by the ephemeral and the fleeting, and tragically falter and get eliminated even as the awards are within touching distance and beckoning.

This happens all the time: the technical person who is lured into abandoning his expertise because the glitter of political office holds too much attraction; the promising academic who sells his soul in exchange for a two-year appointment. The scientist who abandons his metier to defend a salary for a semester.

Now, don’t get me wrong. I am not in any way suggesting that league glory is already in the kitty for Mikel, as I am no soothsayer, and too many of my statements are based on wishful thinking rather than cold analysis. I own up to the fact that I am an unashamed enthusiast, but I am quick to recognise a good thing when I see one, and I think my team is onto a good thing.

Still, there is still a whole season to go through, and things could change, couldn’t they? Mikel could have come to the end of tither and there is no way of bridging the space between champion and runner-up. Pep could still be up to his old tricks again, to ensure for the next five Mikel does not touch the coveted silver.

Or some other gunfighter out in the Sierra is somewhere in the shadows, watching, ready to pounce and steal the thunder from the two Spaniards. Who knows?

See you next League!

Ulimwengu is now on YouTube via jeneralionline tv. E-mail: [email protected]