For the first time in a decade, the Premier League enters the new season without Pep Guardiola's presence. In 10 years of dedication to Manchester City, the 55-year-old coach has won 6 Premier League titles, 3 FA Cups, 5 League Cups and 1 Champions League title, before saying goodbye to the Etihad Stadium in May 2026, after 593 matches.
Coming to the country that created football and thinking that I have to change something is a bit arrogant," Guardiola said when he first came to English football in 2016, "I am not good enough to change everything. I am very confident in myself. I can do my job well but I did not come here with the idea that I can change the mindset or culture of England.
But that was exactly what he did: His football philosophy produced excellent students, including his successor Enzo Maresca and the one who defeated him to win the championship last season, Mikel Arteta.
His influence is not limited to the elite, but also extends to the level of grassroots football, changing the basic foundations of coaching work at all levels. There is an English football before Guardiola and an English football after Guardiola. His legacy is so profound.
However, behind a talented strategist with a strict disciplinary image on the sidelines is a very different Pep Guardiola. Through stories shared by coaches who have faced him in England, the portrait of a passionate, warm and compassionate coach has been fully portrayed.
The creator of play and meticulousness to every detail
In the eyes of his colleagues, Guardiola is the type of coach obsessed with perfection. Vitor Pereira, since leading Porto, has faced Pep, not hesitating to call him "Da Vinci of football". He recalled the moment he and Pep had lunch in Munich, the quick meal quickly turned into a lively tactical discussion, where Pep used cups and objects on the table to simulate team movement. The predecessor of the times and different thinking make anyone who confronts him feel like they are solving a difficult puzzle.
Pep's meticulousness is not only for the big battles in the Champions League or Premier League, but also spreads to each match against opponents in the lower leagues. Karl Robinson, former coach of Oxford United and Salford City, was surprised to see Pep memorize the names of each lower-tier player and carefully analyze each of their finishing habits before the Carabao Cup match.
Meanwhile, Paul Heckingbottom of Sheffield United recounted that Pep and his colleagues spent a whole week studying set pieces of a Championship team. The controlling style of play, the center-back's pushing, or the use of the goalkeeper as a ball distribution player that Pep applied has now become a common standard, spreading throughout League One or League Two.
Sincere feelings
Contrary to the tension on the sidelines, Pep Guardiola in real life possesses incredible warmth and human connection. The relationship between him and veteran coach Neil Warnock is a typical example. Despite following two completely opposite football philosophies, Pep is extremely fond of Warnock's humor and the coach's passion for lower-level football. The two once went together to see Stockport County play, and Pep even invited Warnock to chat in front of the entire Man City team just to find one element that he thought his team lacked: humor.
Pep always maintains absolute respect for his opponents. After domestic cup matches, he often proactively invites the opponent's coaching staff to his office to sip a glass of wine, chat passionately about football and ensure that players of small teams always receive a shirt exchange with Man City stars. Former coaches Wycombe, Gareth Ainsworth, or John Askey of Port Vale all keep the bottles of wine that Pep gives as precious keepsakes.
In particular, the sincerity of the Spanish coach is also shown in the most difficult times of his colleague. When Lee Johnson was sacked and felt turned away by the football world, Pep himself went through the rows of seats in the press conference room to shake hands, chat and motivate him. That small action not only helped Johnson regain confidence but also opened up opportunities for him to work in the City Football Group system later.
Pep Guardiola left English football not only as a great coach who brought back a series of titles, but also as a model of professionalism, dedication and warm humanity. As Mr. Vitor Pereira shared, the Premier League and world football will miss him very much and want to see him return to the coaching bench as soon as possible.
