Guardiola looking to build a legacy at the Etihad Stadium, although he failed to land the Champions League with Bayern Munich
It’s been a practically flawless performance from Pep Guardiola since he signed a three-year deal to become the Manchester City manager, with the Spaniard banking three Premier League wins and qualification for the Champions League group stage before the international break.
The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich chief has also shaped the squad to his liking and orchestrated a new style of play involving a goalkeeper who can play better football than Joe Hart!
Given the fierce competition in the Premier League from the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool, winning the domestic title will be no mean feat for the 45-year-old although Pep hasn’t just been hired to win silverware in England as he is 12/1 to land City the UEFA Champions League this season.
Last season, Manuel Pellegrini took the Citizens to the semi-final stage of the Champions League, although both performances against Real Madrid were somewhat meek as Los Merengues went through 1-0 on aggregate and then claimed the trophy on spot kicks.
There was widespread criticism that Pellegrini’s tactics had been too conservative and that won’t be the case should Guardiola find himself in the same position this season.
Manchester City’s group draw has been described in some quarters as tough, although the presence of a team like Barcelona was to be expected considering that Guardiola’s side were in Pot 2.
Borussia Mönchengladbach finished a modest fourth in the Bundesliga last term and Celtic are clearly the weakest link of all considering that the Scottish champions couldn’t even emerge from the Europa League group stage last term.
Given the summer recruitment and the players that Guardiola inherited, we should expect City to not only qualify for the last sixteen stage but potentially topple Barca and come through as group winners to ensure the easiest possible passage to the last eight of the competition.
Claudio Bravo comes directly from the Nou Camp, with John Stones, Nolito, Ilkay Gundogan and Leroy Sane among the other recruits that will improve the quality of the team over time.
Perhaps Guardiola’s first season will not yield a Champions League title, although the Spaniard has at least three attempts to etch his name into Etihad folklore by turning Manchester City into European champions.
This season, they are fifth favourites at 12/1 (bet365) to win this tournament, with the usual suspects heading the betting market. However, there are a couple of notable omissions and that includes Manchester United and Chelsea whose previous seasons were so poor that they failed to qualify.
A Champions League without teams managed by Mourinho and Conte makes appeal to any major European club who will suspect that United and Chelsea will be making a timely return to the tournament in a year’s time.
However, if a fighting fit Vincent Kompany can return alongside Stones and an injury-free Sergio Aguero can operate in attack while being flanked by Sane, Silva, De Bruyne and Sterling, then maybe Pep can sprinkle some more magic dust in the Champions League.
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