This season, Manchester City have been in a league of their own. A downright ridiculous 16 points ahead of second place, how did they become arguably the best team in Premier League history?
The Manager
We are nearing the end of Pep Guardiola’s second season as Manchester City’s manager. While it can be a challenge for coaches to transition to a new league, it certainly hasn’t been for him. It also wasn’t his first time.
Guardiola started his managing career in the FC Barcelona system. There he won the La Liga three times and Champions League two times. After that, he coached Bayern Munich for three years. His team came first place in the Bundesliga every one of those years. It’s hard to imagine a sweeter resumé.
Now he is coach of Manchester City. Much of City’s success of late can be chalked-up to Pep and his dynamic philosophy.
30 – Manchester City have won 30 Premier League games in 2017-18, equalling the English top-flight record for most league wins in a 38-game season (Chelsea 2016-17). Juggernaut. pic.twitter.com/R6ZWhRSrp8
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) April 29, 2018
The origin of this Premier League-shattering philosophy is FC Barcelona. This is where Pep spent 22 years of his life, during which he was either a player or a manager. It was here that he was introduced to tiki-taka. This style of play puts an emphasis on smaller attackers that are capable of quick thinking and precise passes. This is directly reflected by the players Pep has chosen for Man City.