PEP GUARDIOLA

On New Year’s Day at the start of 2021, Manchester City sat eighth in the Premier League table. By the end of the campaign, they had won the title by 12 points.

City began the calendar year with an astonishing 18 straight victories in all competitions – a jaw- dropping feat even by Guardiola’s sky- high standards. Long winning streaks are nothing new for the Catalan, such is the way that he moulds his teams into his image and demands almost constant perfection, but this took relentlessness to new levels. Man City’s nightmare fixture list meant they didn’t have a free midweek for more than four months.

In total, they claimed 32 victories between January and May, without drawing a single match, and netted 88 goals. Guardiola also collected his fourth consecutive League Cup, even if the final did pit him against Ryan

Mason in only the caretaker’s second game in management ever – akin to taking a rattle off a newborn baby, rather than a bare- knuckle grudge match with Jose Mourinho, willing to poke Pep’s eyes out for even the tiniest chance of silverware.

Guardiola took Man City to a first ever Champions League final too – after overcoming PSG in the semis – though the Porto showpiece is the biggest blot on his copybook in 2021. City were expected to prevail, but he again fell into the trap of overthinking a big European fixture and opted against a conventional anchorman. The impressive Thomas Tuchel won that battle, then steered Chelsea to an early lead in the Premier League title race this term – but Pep’s 13- year body of work means he’ll take some shifting from top spot in this fight. Just imagine what he could achieve with a recognised striker upfront...