Manchester City have the unique opportunity to conquer the treble this season and become the first English club to do so since Manchester United.
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is confident that his legacy with the club will not be defined by the trophies they have won but instead by the sheer amount of joy that they have brought to the fans. Having defeated Premier League leaders Arsenal 4-1 at the Etihad Stadium in their last league outing, Man City are standing at the cusp of greatness.
They are inching closer and closer to lifting their third successive Premier League title and their fifth English top-flight crown in six seasons! They are just two points behind Arsenal at the top but do have a couple of matches in hand.
In fact, City could climb to the top of the table with a win over Fulham on Sunday. Guardiola’s men also have the unique opportunity of conquering the treble this season given that they have made their way to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, where they will take on defending champions Real Madrid, and the final of the FA Cup, where they will face city rivals Manchester United.
There is no doubt that City are the dominant forces in England and few teams in history have been as ruthless and all-conquering as the current side led by the Spanish manager. Although success in Europe continues to be elusive as the citizens continue to chase their first Champions League trophy, this could very well be the year when they manage to achieve that impressive feat.
When asked about City’s impressive legacy and success in football, Guardiola, who has won four league titles, four League Cups and the FA Cup with the team since taking over in 2016, told reporters: “people enjoy watching us today, it is enough”.
“That is why we are here, people remember in 10-15 years with a smile and say how nice was that period that we had seven, eight or nine years together, that is the biggest compliment, better than any trophy and anything that you can give.
“… I think that managers and players cannot forget it, we fight for the title, but we cannot forget what we give to others.”
There is no doubt that Pep Guardiola is the defining manager of his generation. He first achieved unprecedented success and won the treble with Barcelona in his first year in charge. Guardiola went on to achieve 14 trophies with the Catalan club and defined the style with which modern football came to be played in the following years.
The Spaniard then achieved similar success with Bayern Munich before taking on the job at Manchester City and powering them into English giants.
When asked about where he will rank in debates about the best managers in football, Guardiola said that he is unbothered.
“Honestly I don’t know, I try to do my job like all the managers, but I’m not concerned about that. My concern is to live in the moment and yeah now is Fulham and the rest doesn’t matter,” Guardiola said.
“Never ever in my life did I expect as a manager to live what I have lived when I started in the fourth division with Barcelona B. If I had to finish my career, now, tomorrow, for whatever reasons, I could not ask for anything else.”