Pep Guardiola has already tasted success at Barcelona and Bayern Munich. That's putting it mildly in the case of the former; Barcelona practically ruled Europe while he was in charge. He set the bar so high there that even after winning three consecutive Bundesliga titles and two DFB Pokal titles (in three years) at Bayern Munich, his tenure was termed as a failure by many pundits and fans.
Guardiola took the Bavarians to the semifinals of the Champions League twice but lost to a Spanish opposition each time. Barring this year's final, the team against whom Munich lost the semis went on to win the Champions League.
Guardiola has won 21 titles in his managerial career of seven years, averaging three titles per year. This is by no means a failure.
But Manchester City will be a different test altogether for the former Barca boss. The clubs he has managed till date are established clubs. Year after year they win titles and they have world class players in their squad. But City don't have that quality compared to the likes of Bayern and Barcelona.
Barcelona and Bayern are at another level along with Real Madrid. So managing the Citizens might prove to be a stern test for Guardiola. Will he succeed or will he fail? Only time can tell. Let's look at the possible challenges he might face in England.
Squad restructuring
City have one of the finest squad in England. Their bench too is one of the strongest. If Guardiola wants to sign new players he will also have the backing of the board and the financial resources.
The Sky Blues might be set for a summer clear-out with the likes of Zabaleta, Kolarov, Demichelis, Caballero, Fernando, Toure, Bony and maybe more facing the axe. Even a player like Silva might have to leave because of his persistent injury problems, though he would be perfectly suited to Guardiola’s philosophy.
Manchester City have been linked with a number of star players for the upcoming transfer window. If the rumours are true, they have already signed Gündagon from Dortmund. They have also been linked with the likes of Ter Stegen, Laporte, Sané, Busquets, Thiago and many more. All the targets don't seem to be realistic at the moment, but the likes of Sané, Gündagon, Laporte can be lured easily.
Though the Citizens will surely not be able to sign all their targets in this transfer window, they already have enough quality players to challenge for the league title and the Champions League with the likes of Hart, Kompany, De Bruyne, Aguero, etc. in their ranks.
Implementing his philosophy
Every coach has his own philosophy. Some prefer defensive tactics and some others go for offense. But Guardiola has been known for his attractive “tiki-taka” style of play. Keeping the ball and short passing is the way the former Bayern boss likes his team to play. He believes attack is the best form of defence.
The blue side of Manchester played with a similar philosophy to that of Pep's under Mancini and Pellegrini. Thus, Guardiola wouldn't have to put in too much effort in implementing his philosophy. He will, however, have to make some tactical tweaks as he will be facing much tougher tests in the league than he faced at Barca and Bayern.
It will also be interesting to see which formation he prefers at Manchester City. He preferred 4-1-4-1 or 3-5-2 at Bayern and 4-3-3 at Barcelona, but City usually play with a 4-2-3-1 or a 4-4-2.
Stiff competition
The Premier League is arguably the toughest league in the world. It's not a two- or a three-horse race; the likes of Arsenal, Chelsea and United all are in it with a chance. Now that teams like Liverpool and Spurs have been rejuvenated under their new coaches Pochettino and Klopp respectively, they will not by any means make life easy for Guardiola.
The defending champions and underdogs Leicester City should not be written off either. Even West Ham, who will be moving to the Olympic stadium in the upcoming season, are planning on strengthening their squad this summer with a big money signing. Southampton under Koeman are getting better every year, even after selling their star players. Everton and Stoke should also not be underestimated.
With so many quality sides in the league, Guardiola won't be able to rotate his squad with as much efficiency as he used to at Barca and Bayern. Thus, he will have to rotate his squad intelligently to keep his players fresh throughout the season.
Youth teams
Youth teams have become the backbone of every club these days. The Champions League is also played at the youth level now (U-21s). Usually Barcelona, Arsenal, Bayern and Manchester United are considered as the teams with best academies.
But this year's Youth Champions League Final was contested between Chelsea and Paris St Germain – two clubs who prefer buying world-class players. This shows that every single team is aiming to develop players rather than buying high profile players unless necessary.
Guardiola is a coach who believes in youngsters. At Barca he promoted players like Busquets and Pedro. At Bayern too he brought the best out of Coman and Kimmich.
City have one of the best youth academies and scouts in England. With players like Iheanacho, Denayer, Celina and Manu Garcia coming through their academy, Guardiola can continue his trend of promoting and grooming young talents.
Developing winning mentality and building fan support
Every team needs to have a winning mentality. The Sky Blues at the moment seem to be lacking in fighting spirit. The club is full of world-class players, but they didn't quite have the burning desire to win trophies under both Mancini and Pellegrini. At times City have been criticized for being complacent.
The Citizens also lack fan support. Even for the Champions League games they cannot fill their stadium to the full capacity. A club always needs the backing of its fans. When the team is struggling or going through a rough patch, fans can cheer them up and motivate them to perform better. Though appointment of Guardiola would have extended Manchester City's fanbase, they need to attract even more fans and try to fill the stadium.
City are a team that has come into prominence in recent years and they are improving every year. This season they reached the semifinals of the Champions League which they have struggled to do it in their previous campaigns. In the league, they challenge for the title every year. In the last five seasons, they have won the league twice.
It's fair to say this might be the toughest job in Guardiola’s managerial career. With the competition getting better and better each year, an extra cup to play every season and with no Christmas break, it'll take some time for Guardiola to adjust himself.
Being one of the best coaches in the world, he will have huge expectations to fulfill. But in his inaugural season at City, it'll be a bit too much to expect a double or a treble. A league title might be a possibility, but a season without a major title shouldn't come as a surprise.
