Manchester City: Pep Guardiola 'the difference maker' - but is this his best team yet?

1 year ago 33

Pep Guardiola was described arsenic "the quality maker" aft starring Manchester City to a 3rd successive Premier League rubric - and 2 games from achieving a historical Treble.

City, English champions successful 5 of the past six seasons, volition adjacent period look Manchester United successful the FA Cup last earlier bidding for a archetypal Champions League occurrence against Inter Milan.

It begs the question, is this the Spaniard's champion City squad yet? You tin person your accidental astatine the bottommost of the page.

"Guardiola has made this the champion Manchester City squad ever. It is outstanding," erstwhile Manchester City defender Micah Richards told Sky Sports.

"Pep is ever 1 measurement ahead. His archetypal play helium came third, past helium evolved however they wanted to play. He ever makes thing antithetic and that's what sets him apart.

"It is extraordinary. Everyone said Pep couldn't bring the Barcelona benignant to the Premier League. He has made everyone look stupid. He is simply a genius.

"There is conscionable that 1 unreality - and the Champions League would beryllium the icing connected the cake."

City's rubric triumph came contempt trailing Arsenal by 8 points arsenic precocious arsenic 7 April.

But a 12-game winning streak saw them overhaul the Gunners with 3 games to spare and Sunday's 1-0 triumph implicit Chelsea moved them 7 points wide astatine the top.

"Manchester City are an implicit machine, it's terrifying," erstwhile City goalkeeper Karen Bardsley said.

"Getting them to support that signifier implicit the play is astonishing and getting them to highest astatine conscionable the close clip is amazing."

Former Manchester United subordinate Roy Keane said: "You ne'er get sick of winning. Titles are not easy. They marque it look easy, but they person the hunger and tendency to support winning."

He added: "You saw the player's reactions. It looks similar it is their archetypal league title. Pep has ever had the champion players but it is the hunger.

"I deliberation helium is simply a immense quality maker, helium is the antheral you privation successful charge."

In all, it is Guardiola's 11th league rubric successful 14 seasons arsenic a manager astatine Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City.

Only Manchester United fable Sir Alex Ferguson had antecedently managed to triumph 3 successive English titles, though it is the 3rd juncture that Guardiola has managed to triumph 3 league titles successful a enactment - having besides done truthful successful La Liga from 2009-11 and successful the Bundesliga from 2014-16.

Once the celebrations are over, City's contiguous situation is to effort to emulate derby rivals United's 1998-99 Treble.

"It would beryllium a large disappointment if the Treble doesn't hap now. Anything tin hap but I can't spot thing different than a Treble," ex-Liverpool subordinate Jamie Redknapp said.

"Pep is doing things we haven't seen before. He is doing things we thought impossible. If you similar watching football, you conscionable similar watching Man City."

Manchester United volition person the accidental to forestall City matching that feat connected 3 June astatine Wembley.

"United privation the accidental to instrumentality distant the Treble," said Gary Neville, portion of United's Treble-winning side.

"I similar this Pep squad much than I person liked the others. It is imperfect. They are much powerful, physically stronger and dominant. It is the squad I would slightest similar to play against.

"Only the top managers person done this benignant of thing. The proposition immoderate manager could bash this is an implicit nonsense.

"Guardiola is the difference. It is exceptional what helium has achieved successful the game. What City are doing is due to the fact that of him."

With a imaginable Treble successful their sights, bash you deliberation this is Guardiola's champion City XI yet? Pick your champion squad below.

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