Has Pep Guardiola Finally Silenced His Critics at Manchester City?

When Manchester Metropolis introduced that Pep Guardiola was swapping Munich for Manchester in February 2016, many have been fast to remark that the Catalan boss wouldn’t reduce it within the Premier League. His tiki-taka type of play was not suited to the quick tempo of English soccer, they stated. He was used to managing superstars, they stated. All he ever does is handle prime golf equipment. Regardless of Metropolis profitable two Premier League trophies, an FA Cup, a League Cup and constantly prime 4 within the Premier League, many nonetheless didn’t class the Blues as a prime membership.

Guardiola was introduced in to vary that notion, and his 1,000th recreation in administration, a 3-0 demolition of champions Liverpool, has lastly seen Metropolis famous as not solely the most effective golf equipment within the Premier League, however throughout Europe too.

It’s honest to say that Pep’s first season in cost on the Etihad Stadium didn’t go fairly to plan. After profitable his first ten video games in cost, Metropolis have been held 3-3 by Celtic, crushed 2-0 by Spurs and hammered 4-0 by Guardiola’s previous membership, Barcelona. The outcomes got here in a barren spell that noticed Metropolis fail to win any of their following six matches because the honeymoon interval ended for the brand new boss.

Metropolis would additionally lose at house to Chelsea (1-3) at Leicester (2-4) and take a 4-0 hammering at Everton. Dumped out of the Champions League by Monaco and crushed within the FA Cup semi-final by Arsenal, it appeared just like the critics have been about to be proved proper. How opposing followers revelled in the truth that Guardiola hadn’t made the anticipated impression within the Premier League.

They weren’t prepared for his second season.

Clearing out a number of the previous guard, Pep rebuilt the ageing defence, revitalised the midfield and shored up the assault. They began with a below-the-radar 2-0 win at Brighton, then didn’t beat Everton of their first house match of the season. What occurred subsequent was fairly outstanding.

Metropolis gained all of their following twenty video games, thrashing Liverpool (5-0), Watford (6-0) Feyenoord (4-0), Crystal Palace (5-0) and Stoke Metropolis (7-2) within the course of. Their first league loss arrived in January 2018 at Liverpool, however strolled to the title, shedding only one extra league match, reaching a Premier League report of 100 factors on the ultimate day of the season.

In 2019, they turned the primary staff to finish the home treble, beating Chelsea within the League Cup Last on penalties and thrashing Watford 6-0 within the FA Cup Last. Nevertheless it was the best way they gained the league that took all of the plaudits.

A 2-1 loss at Newcastle on the finish of January left Metropolis 4 factors behind Liverpool and having performed a recreation further. By March, Metropolis had overtaken the leaders and it was a lead that they wouldn’t give up, despite the fact that Liverpool pushed all of them the best way.

The Mersey Reds nonetheless had a recreation in hand however have been shedding their grip on the title. By the start of Could, they have been two factors away from Metropolis, however the Blues had a recreation in hand. Victory towards Leicester would put Pep’s males some extent clear on the prime. And Vinnie Kompany’s screamer made that dream a actuality. Metropolis gained their closing recreation 4-1 at Brighton to clinch their second consecutive title.

The Covid season hit Metropolis arduous, however the Blues bounced again, taking an unprecedented report of 4 Premier League titles in a row.

Nevertheless it was 2023 that Guardiola lastly achieved what the membership had craved since ADUG took over the membership in 2008 – The Champions League.

Metropolis secured the league title with a 1-0 house victory over Chelsea in Could, then two targets by Ilkay Gundogan helped the membership win the FA Cup with a 2-1 victory over Manchester United. The Stretford Rangers have been determined to cease Metropolis profitable the European treble, however needed to depend on Inter Milan after shedding at Wembley.

A tense night time in Istanbul was lastly settled by a second-half strike by Rodri to lastly give the Blues Europe’s prime prize. It was a candy second for Guardiola, who had seen his Blues crushed two years earlier and have been lastly topped Champions of Europe.

A fourth Premier League title adopted however Metropolis have been starting to decelerate. A poor spell within the 24/25 season noticed Metropolis lose worthwhile floor within the title race, and it was clear that Guardiola would want a critical rebuild if Metropolis have been to problem once more. As soon as extra, the critics got here out from below the rocks, this time claiming that Guardiola didn’t have what it took to rebuild a squad and wished the Blues luck in ending under Liverpool and Arsenal for the foreseeable future.

In January 2025, Guardiola Broought in Nico Gonzalez, Abdukodir Khusannov, Vitor Reis and Omar Marmouush to brief up the squad. In the course of the summer time, Guardiola Signed Rayan Ait-nouri, Rayan Crek, Tijjani Reijnders, James Traffford and Gianluigi Donnarumma within the Largest rebuild guardiola full since 2017

After profitable on the opening day of the season at Wolves, the Blues misplaced at house to Spurs and at Brighton, giving the critics one thing to feast on. Metropolis went largely unnoticed, with Liverpool setting a blistering tempo earlier than hitting a droop just like Metropolis’s final season, permitting Arsenal to take management.

As common, the pundits took enjoyment of crowning the Gunners as champions in November, satisfied that nobody would be capable to catch them and their rivals have been merely not ok. What they neglect about was that Metropolis have been minutes away from beating the Gunners on their house patch in September. And the 3-0 hammering of Liverpool on the weekend put Metropolis firmly again within the body as title contenders.

That win on the weekend not solely put Metropolis again on the radar however proved that Guardiola simply doesn’t handle established stars – he nurtures uncooked expertise and turns them into champion materials. While nearly all of gamers who featured on Saturday have been already established stars, most have been comparatively unknown, however have made a reputation for themselves below Guardiola at Metropolis.

That’s an enormous testomony to the boss and a large kick within the enamel to those that doubted him, referred to as him ‘Fraudiola,’ the ‘bald fraud’ and a ‘chequebook supervisor.’ And, because the ‘we’ve bought Guardiola’ chant echoed across the Etihad on Sunday, it was abundantly clear that the boss is neither of these. He’s a proficient supervisor who is aware of the sport inside out and is a born winner.

Guardiola is constructing a staff that’s placing the previous, with the likes of Kevin de Bruyne, firmly within the rear-view mirror and Metropolis followers can stay up for a brand new period of thrilling soccer with the subsequent era of stars to grace the Etihad pitch. He has silenced his critics, who’ve now as soon as once more crawled again below the rocks from whence they got here.

Right here’s to the subsequent 1,00o matches, hopefully the large majority with Metropolis.