Ten years of Pep Guardiola at Manchester City doc: Five things learned | Football | Sport
Pep Guardiola’s arrival at Manchester City was announced 10 years ago (Image: Getty)
Blink and you miss it. That’s been the case for Pep Guardiola’s tenure at Manchester City, with a full 10 years having passed since he was announced as Blues boss.
The Catalan coach arrived in the Premier League under plenty of pressure, but fast forward the best part of a decade, has he answered them all? To celebrate Pep’s 10 years in charge of City, All Out Football sat down with some of those who have lived and breathed his reign every step of the way. Here’s what we learned…
Adapting early has been key to Pep’s success
After all the trophy lifts and league wins, it’s easy to forget Guardiola hasn’t had it all his own way. The ex-Barcelona and Bayern Munich man’s first season in charge was a bit of a disaster, with it being the first time in his managerial career he didn’t win a piece of silverware.
Simon Bajkowski, chief Manchester City writer for the Manchester Evening News, highlighted how quickly Guardiola adapted. He said: “A lot of people who wanted to see Guardiola fail in English football were absolutely delighted [after the first season]. He was swimming against the tide really. He’d made a lot of big decisions, like Claudio Bravo for Joe Hart.”
Adapt he did, and by the end of his second season, City weren’t only Premier League champions, but did so by breaking the all-time points record.
Pep Guardiola is a weirdo… in a nice way
You don’t stay at a football club for 10 years, winning everything Guardiola has done, without being utterly devoted to your craft. That’s something Amos Murphy, journalist and co-founder of The City Ramble highlighted.
Speaking in the documentary, he said: “I say this in the highest esteem to a man who I hold as dear to me as a family member, but he is a weirdo in the sense he is completely absorbed by everything football. People around him say, he just doesn’t stop. He can’t stop.”
Broadcaster and City fan, Ian Cheeseman, added: “There’s something different about Pep, it’s a love of the game, not just a love of winning.”
While on the psychological impact, Simon said: “You have to be a certain personality to cope with that. Some players might be able to do it for five or 10 years, some players just one or two.”
Jurgen Klopp made Pep Guardiola and Man City better
When Guardiola does eventually leave English football, one of the things he’ll be remembered for the most is the titanic battles with Jurgen Klopp. The German was a thorn in his side on more than one occasion, but did Klopp actually make Guardiola better?
City fan Louisa Wilshaw believes so, saying: “He did say that Klopp pushed him, made him better, made him a better manager. Made him think what he needed to do next, how he needed to improve the team.”
On the breathtaking 2018/19 title race, where Liverpool’s tally of 97 points wasn’t enough to win the league, Amos said: “It was the most emotionally taxing thing I’d ever been a part of. That 18/19 season, it was basically from September, if you drop points your chance of winning the league decreases by five per cent. You look at the points tally at the end, it turned out like that… it was the best heavyweight battle football has ever seen.”
Matching Man Utd’s best win for full circle achievement
When rivals Manchester United won the Treble in 1999, City were playing in the third tier of English football. But in 2023, Guardiola brought the Treble to the blue side of Manchester – something that completed football for one diehard fan.
Reminiscing on the 2023 triumph, content creator Big Steve said: “When the final whistle went, it just felt like everything had gone full circle and I’d completed what I needed to complete. From starting off as a boy at Maine Road, watching them bounce around the divisions, to watching them lift the Champions League as part of the Treble was unbelievable.”
It got even better for Steve, who found himself in the middle of the City squad’s party. He added: “[After the parade] things took a turn, I ended up being invited into the players’ party. I was standing there with Pep, Jack Grealish was having a few beers, Ederson had no top on, Erling Haaland was walking around in pyjamas. It was an unbelievable night.”
Winning the Treble was a ‘full circle’ moment for one Man City fan (Image: Getty)
Pep will be remembered as the greatest of all time
What will Guardiola’s legacy be when he leaves City? Unsurprisingly, those with connections to the club already think he’s the greatest of all time.
Simon remarked: “History and the chance to make it is something that has really driven Pep and this team over the last 10 years. But to win four in a row, first English team to do that, I’m not sure if anyone will ever do that again.”
On that achievement, Louisa added: “I think that’s awesome and that’s what warrants him as the greatest of all time.”
Watch the Pep Guardiola on the 10 Years Of Pep Guardiola | All Out Originals documentary All Out Football YouTube channell!
