Here’s how City are welcoming new boss Pep . . .
Pep Guardiola enjoys a curiosity for different cultures and arrived in a black cab to find his office loaded with some classic english knick-knacks.
PG Tips were there for him, accompanied by a guide to Manchester, an oasis vinyl and a Coronation Street box set. a personalised club umbrella gave a nod to the North West weather, too.
if all that is tongue- in- cheek and rather charming, Guardiola’s unveiling as Manchester City’s new manager in front of 5,800 supporters at the City Football academy was more like the declaration of intent you might expect.
Jose Mourinho is unveiled up the road tomorrow, but this was Guardiola’s first time in the Manchester spotlight.
Sporting a skinny jeans, blazer and Converse combination, the Spanish winning machine spoke on stage for half an hour and even found himself coerced into joining in with a rendition of Blue Moon.
City rightly wanted to show off the most successful coach of the last decade and one they have chased for four years.
He has won 21 major trophies at Barcelona and Bayern Munich and has a desire to immerse himself in Mancunian life.
He will live in a Salford apartment with fashion designer wife Cristina Serra and their three children — daughters Valentina and Maria, and son Marius.
The 45-year- old will notice how much has changed when he curls up to watch Corrie from yesteryear, and that extends to the new club he inherits.
City is an unrecognisable place nowadays, with Guardiola — who starts training with a selection of his squad today — seemingly unruffled by the added attention he will garner from a three-year contract worth £45million.
He was relaxed yesterday — a selfie with Noel Gallagher epitomising that — and he rejected any notion of the premier league’s stellar list of managers beginning to represent english football’s major attraction.
‘in england, the people don’t come to see the manager, they come to see how good our players are,’ Guardiola said yesterday, perched on a stool.
‘i don’t think just this year, but in the past as well, with Mourinho,na with Klopp, with Conte, with ranieri, pochettino, Koeman, but the reason i work here is just to help the players.
‘i’ve come here to learn, learn the way the people live here, for my family, for my kids. That is why I was curious to move in europe.’
Guardiola quashed any notion he will attempt to sign lionel Messi from Barcelona and promised to give City’s players a kick up the backside in the coming weeks.
‘First i have to meet my players and know them. i know them from TV,’ he added.
‘i have to hug them, kick their a***s. i need time to know them. i have an idea but i need time. i like the player who thinks about himself but (also) thinks about City.
‘The reason we are here is thinking, “What can we do to make this club a better club in the next three, four, five years?” i don’t want the guys to think about what the club can do for them.
‘Now my dream came true. of course the atmosphere here is “Wow”. We have one of the best facilities in the world.’
Guardiola will work alongside sporting director Txiki Begiristain to make further additions in the transfer market, and said his close friend has fully briefed him on the squad.
‘i know them, i have played against
City in the last two or three years many times,’ Guardiola said.
‘I’ve spoken many times with Txiki. I know their quality but they have to show me, show the fans again.
‘The past is the past. The people don’t come here to remember what we did. Every manager in the world wants to improve their players. I have my point of view, my way to do my job.
‘I need time but as soon as possible we are going to try to create team spirit.
‘That is the most important thing. After, you can create tactics, but we have to create something special ourselves.’
Guardiola — who was amusingly given a fright by a burst of confetti at the climax of his presentation — also welcomed Mikel Arteta to the backroom staff at the Etihad. The 34-year- old former Arsenal midfielder chose to announce the news himself just before midday, saying: ‘I am now looking forward to the challenge ahead at Manchester City.
‘The opportunity to join Pep Guardiola and his team was an amazing opportunity for me and I am incredibly excited for the future.
‘Coaching has always been something I’ve been keen to go into and over the past few years I’ve worked hard off the pitch as well as on it to develop my skills in order to put me in a position to be able to pursue a coaching role once I finished playing.’
He and Guardiola hope they become old favourites during this new beginning.