When Man City was taken over by Pep Guardiola, taking only the first season to start, The Citizens have risen to become a true champion of English football with 4 championships in the past 6 years and are preparing to have another 5th time when falling behind their opponents in the Premier League.
Like every year under Pep, this year, Man City has passed the Champions League group stage and prepared for the journey to conquer the title they want most. Over the past 10 years, since leaving Barca, Pep Guardiola, Bayern and Man City have spent 1.205 billion Euros but have yet to win the most prestigious arena championship in Europe.
Super strong in domestic tournaments but continuously falling in the continental arena. So in the end, is Pep a failure or not?
Every year under Pep, Man City "feels" to have gathered enough elements to make a complete success. However, with many different scenarios and different levels of disappointment, Man City only reached the final.
Last season, when he fell off the horse in the final against Chelsea, Pep said his team lost because one of the reasons for not having a defensive midfielder. Is that a key factor or just an excuse for being helpless in this prestigious arena?
The Premier League is clearly harsher than the Bundesliga or Ligue 1, so Man City's domestic championship cannot be taken lightly. However, with so many championships, Man City in general and Pep in particular should consider the lack of a hand in the Champions League as the biggest failure, covering the achievements they have had in the Premier League.
Man City just defeated Norwich 4-0 to prepare for the opening match of the 1/8 round of the Champions League against Sporting Lisbon. This is a very good period for Pep in the season and it is predicted that there will be no difficulties. The later it got, the more difficult it became for the opponents to play, the more everything became apparent. Pep can help many players correct their mistakes and become successful, but when he is in trouble, no one is capable enough to help. Even this talented strategist could not help himself overcome adversity.
"As a team manager, we can be criticized when the club doesn't get the results we want. If you don't like being criticized, find another job, no problem" - Pep shared before the match against Sporting.
At the age of 51, the fire is still burning like 15 years ago, when he first settled into the profession. Pep always demands perfection in himself and the club he leads. That is why Man City is still good day by day and is the team worth watching in the continent.
