Manchester City are halfway toward winning their second straight Premier League title and their fourth in six seasons under Pep Guardiola.
Perhaps more than ever before, Pep’s genius has been at the heart of City’s success. And based on the surrounding factors, leading this City team to the title this season could very well be the most impressive achievement of Guardiola’s illustrious coaching career.
Read on as SBOTOP breaks down just how special Pep Guardiola and Manchester City have been this season.
Pep’s system surpasses superstars
One of the main arguments Pep’s critics have used against him over the years is the fact that he had the “easiest” job in the world coaching squads full of the world’s best players.
That was certainly true during his stints at Barcelona with Lionel Messi and co. and at Bayern Munich with the likes of Robert Lewandowski, Thomas Muller et al. And it’s also true at City, who are one of the richest clubs in the world and have spent hundreds of millions of pounds to assemble one of the strongest squads in Europe for Pep.
But still, that criticism discounts the fact that a great manager is still needed to put a system in place that can get the best out of the players in his squad and win titles, which are what Pep has done everywhere he has gone.
That has been highlighted even more than ever this season, with Pep moulding Manchester City into a side that seemingly no longer needs the truly elite superstars in order to dominate.
Granted, the likes of Ruben Dias, Bernardo Silva, and Raheem Sterling are still outstanding players who have been important to their success, and the sheer depth of their squad is unmatched in England and Europe.
But they function as part of the overall Manchester City machine, one that is looking unstoppable even when it cannot rely on the individual brilliance of Sergio Aguero or Kevin De Bruyne, who has been far from his world-beating best thus far this season.
Defensively, City are still incredibly solid, with Ruben Dias a rock in the heart of the defence and defensive midfielder Rodri looking more and more like the successor to Fernandinho that he was brought in to be. And this season, they are back to being the irresistible attacking force regardless of which forwards Pep picks to play given his constant rotation.
That is all a testament to Guardiola, who remains as hungry as ever. Instead of resting on his laurels amid his past successes, he continues to find new ways to improve as a manager and as a coach, which is why his City side continue to dominate even in the absence of a true “superstar.”
Pep leaving his rivals behind
What makes Pep’s success this season more impressive is the fact that there is legitimate competition from the likes of Liverpool and Chelsea. This season was shaping up to be an exciting three-horse race for the title, one that would hopefully go right down to the wire.
But despite the Reds and the Blues having comparably strong squads and tremendous coaches in Jurgen Klopp and Thomas Tuchel, City have now opened up a huge six-point lead over the two at the halfway stage of the season.
As good as Klopp and Tuchel are, with squads that should give City stiff competition, Pep is proving in this Premier League season that he is still a step ahead of the two Germans in the way he can get such consistent Premier League 2021 results from his side, week in, week out.
Of course, there is still a long way to go in the Premier League season. But with Pep continuing to push the right buttons compared to his rivals, this might not end up being much of a title race after all.
Pep’s greatness unparalleled
This combination of factors – Pep’s squad still dominating without a true superstar amid strong domestic competition – makes City’s potential title perhaps Pep’s greatest achievement yet. Never before in his managerial career has he had this much true competition, and he is still coming out well ahead.
Not since the great Sir Alex Ferguson of Manchester United has the Premier League seen this level of sustained excellence. Like Fergie, Pep has found ways to evolve as a manager which have helped him stay on top despite the shrinking disparity in the talent of the squads.
To sustain this level of dominance in the most competitive league in the world is truly a remarkable achievement, one that is unlikely to be matched anytime soon. Such is the genius and greatness of Pep Guardiola, hands down the best manager in the world.
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