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After ruling the world with Barcelona, where he won 14 trophies in four seasons and guiding Bayern Munich to three consecutive Bundesliga titles. It was time for Pep Guardiola to come to England. His critics complained that he had it easy at Barca with a team of Messi, Xavi, Iniesta, Villa, and Puyol, while in Germany, Bayern were always dominant in league with little competition. So a move to England was needed to silence the critics.
Life in England did not begin well for the Catalan. A first season failure in the Premier League, where Manchester City finished third and 15 points behind champions Chelsea, Pep Guardiola had finished a season without a trophy for the first time in his managerial career.
"Pep cannot adapt to the Premier League," "His methods won't work here, he has been exposed" were some of the statements made by rival fans. But fast forward to today, it seems to be quite the opposite.
His records in his second season in the Premier League have been unheard of. City broke 12 team records as they won the league title with five games to spare. They blew the competition away, starting with a 22-game unbeaten run which included 18 consecutive Premier League wins. The first club in England to finish with 100 points and scored 106 goals, breaking Chelsea's record of 103. They went on to score three or more goals in 21 out of 38 games in the league.
It was a near perfect season for Pep as their Carabao Cup triumph over Arsenal made it a domestic double. Pundits claimed that this team may be the best side ever in Premier League history and a convincing 3-1 victory over Pep's arch-rival Jose Mourinho's Manchester United last night, Manchester is well and indeed Blue now.
And just when it seemed things could not get any better for the new season, Pep has found a way to improve them even further. A 2-0 demolition of Chelsea in the Community Shield final as Pep won his third trophy. The scoreline does not say much about City's dominance in the 90 minutes. They have managed to score five or more in four games so far in the Premier League.
The addition of Riyad Mahrez adds a new dimension to their attack. De Bruyne's absence has mattered little as Bernardo Silva has replaced him with ease. Aguero and Gabriel Jesus rotate up front and the defence is looking sharper than ever with Mendy looking fit and healthy.
They may be a league above their rivals as they have collected a total of 32 points out of a possible 36. Wolves were lucky to get away with a point when a goal was awarded to them after a controversial handball. The other draw came against Liverpool at Anfield, where Mahrez missed a penalty towards the end of the match.
Pep has conquered England as nobody has and he may do so for the next five years or so. He has bounced back after a disappointing first season, but there is still one trophy missing in City's cabinet - The UEFA Champions League. City fans may finally have their moment in Europe this year and catch up with the elites of Europe.
