SILVERWARE ADDICT PEP IS STILL NO.1

WHEN Pep Guardiola arrived at Manchester City, he famously had the mobile phone signal blocked in certain areas of the first team’s training complex.

His thinking was to encourage players to bond with each other instead of their devices.

Out on the training ground, he demanded multiple extra lines and boxes be marked on the pitch to ingrain into players the need to observe his demanding spatial instructions.

City insiders recount numerous other examples, too, including changes to what the team ate, how they slept, recovered and travelled.

Every one of them offers insight into a manager for whom attention to detail is not only key, but at the heart of what has made him a success. Not in just one country either, but in three.

Beating Liverpool marked City’s 14th consecutive win in all competitions. Not bad for a team without Kevin De Bruyne and Sergio Aguero. Guardiola (above) now holds or shares the longest winning runs in La Liga,

Bundesliga, Premier League and English top-flight histories, respectively. If City go on to win the Premier League for a third time in his six years here, it will give Guardiola three titles in Spain, Germany and England.

But it’s the smaller baubles which decorate the trophy cabinets of Barcelona, Munich and Manchester that say as much about a truly driven talent.

At Barcelona, two Copa del Rey trophies, three Supercopa de Espana titles and two UEFA Super Cups. At Bayern, a Dfb-pokal win, a UEFA Super Cup and a FIFA World Club Cup.

And at City there have been two Community Shields, three League Cups and an FA Cup.

“Winning is addictive and you want to win again,” said Guardiola last week.

“When you win titles you want to win more. If not, you cannot be in this business.”

He remains very much in business and is not about to ease up on any front.

CITY’S Champions League last-16, first-leg tie away to Borussia Monchengladbach on 24 February has been moved to Budapest, due to travel restrictions on foreign nationals arriving into Germany.

ACROSS

Treat with indifference (4-8) Crying (2,5)

Short letters (5)

Couple (4)

Mild or moderate (6) Shaving implement (5)

Rue (6)

No votes (4)

Stadium (5)

Eat away by chemical action (7)

22 Withdraw in haste (4,1,7) 6

8 9 10 12 14

15 16 19 21

Solutions in tomorrow’s Daily Mirror

DOWN

Garments collectively (8) Major religion (5)

Cook in an oven (5) Outstanding performance in sport (7) Nuisance (4)

Thin dry biscuit (10) Evaluation, estimation (10)

Popular household pet (3)

Deity (3)

Kitchen item (3,5) Meeting for boat races (7)

17 Frighten (5)

18 Veracity (5)

20 Water jug (4) 1 2 3 4

5 6 7

11

12 13 14

Solutions in tomorrow’s Daily Mirror

Enter the solutions to the clues in their numbered layers of the wall.

Each word must be an anagram of its neighbours, plus or minus one letter.

1 Powerful tycoon

2 Body that attracts iron and steel Representative

Garden entrance

Have lunch

Story, yarn

Vigilant

Baby’s toy

Large shallow serving dish 3 4 5 6 7 8 9