Pep Guardiola's evolving genius keeps competitors at arm's length

Pep Guardiola won the Champions League with Manchester City last weekend, finding the crowning glory that has eluded him ever since winning his second European title with Barcelona in 2011. 

The Catalan manager has long been obsessed with reaching the summit of European football during his time in England as well as the three years at Bayern Munich but in 2023 the former Barça boss finally added a third Champions League trophy to his name. This saw Guardiola match the feats of Zinedine Zidane and Bob Paisley and places him only one title away from the record haul for a manager, held by current Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti. 

Matching that record fourth title or even going out on his own in the lead with five or more seems very plausible in the coming years, given the quality of the Manchester City squad he has built. 

City had come very close to winning the European Cup over the past years and have long been considered the best team on the continent, but on various occasions, it appeared as though they were hindered by their own psychological blocks to getting over the line. Indeed, even in Saturday's final against Inter, Guardiola's side played without the trademark speed, fluency, and panache for which they have become so feared. 

Yet, that monkey is now off the backs of City – they'll be able to go into every future edition of this tournament with the assuredness of knowing they've conquered all around them before and can do it again. 

Innovation

Psychology is one thing, but what has been so impressive about this Manchester City team during Guardiola's reign has undoubtedly been the capacity for reinvention. New tactical schemes ensure that opponents are constantly chasing shadows, unable to quite work out what system to employ that could possibly harm City.

The Catalan coach has chopped and changed the City system on a regular basis, and this season alone has seen new innovations that have taken them to another level. 

The introduction of the world's best center forward is, of course, always going to be a benefit to the team, but in the early part of the campaign it was not so obvious as to how the careful equilibrium of the structure was going to be kept intact with Haaland in the side, contributing less to the midfield build-up than what Guardiola usually demands of his forwards. The goals were there but the dominance was diminished. 

To solve this issue, Guardiola deployed defender John Stones as an auxiliary midfielder and put a new shape on the team that nobody saw coming – one that resembled the historic 'WM' formation made famous by Herbert Chapman's Arsenal in the early 20th century. 

While out of possession, Stones would cover the defence, but while on the ball, this shape allowed City to continue playing with extra bodies in the center of the pitch while Haaland remained as the focal striker, often occupying the worries of two opposition defenders such is his talent. 

No opponent knew how to deal with this tactical tweak. Since Stones was first played further up the pitch in his new hybrid role, Manchester City became imperious, dropping points in a meaningful game only once while cruising to huge wins over the likes of Liverpool, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid on their way toward a historic treble. 

Making adjustments to the team's shape has long been a trademark of Guardiola and it has made sure that no other side can be sure about how they could be able to stop City. The manager's evolving genius has brought five Premier League titles to City in the seven years he has been at the club. 

Unfancied signings

In addition to getting the most out of the players he already has at his disposal, Guardiola and his background staff have become better than anybody else at spotting talent where other teams can't recognize it. 

Starting in defence against Inter Milan were Nathan Aké and Manuel Akanji, two players brought into Manchester City with little to no fanfare. Aké had just been relegated from the Premier League with Bournemouth while Akanji had made little serious impact on the world stage at Dortmund. 

Even the players who do arrive with big price tags are usually improved greatly by Guardiola's management. Jack Grealish became the most expensive English player when he made the move from Aston Villa, but his first season, by his own admission, left much to be desired. After initially struggling to adapt to the Catalan manager's system, the winger has since gone on to become one of the most important players in the team.

Funding

No real discussion about Manchester City's success can avoid the obvious – the financial backing of their owners in a sportswashing quest. 

Manchester City are only able to create such a great team on the back of almost limitless funding which has, at the heart of it, quite murky purposes. The sportswashing project has been criticized by groups like Amnesty International for attempting to hide the human rights abuses in the Emirate state. 

In addition to this potentially nefarious reason for being, the amount of money poured into the club also distorts the competitions that Manchester City compete in. They can attract whatever level of talent they want with some of the highest wages in the game, and if any expensive transfer doesn't work out for them on the pitch, it is of no loss to them as they can replace that player come the next window. 

For many others, one mistake in the transfer market – buying a player who doesn't perform, or not opting to sell at the right moment – could lead to a serious imbalance in the structure of the project for years. This is simply not a worry for Manchester City.

In February, the Premier League brought forward a total of 115 charges against the club for potential breaches of the competition's financial rules over a nine-year period. The investigation is still ongoing and could yet see serious punishments dished out.

UEFA previously banned the club from participating in European competition for two years over breaches of financial rules. This was eventually overturned by the Court of Arbitration for Sport but City were fined €10 million for obstructing the investigation. 

Having all this money at hand does not guarantee success: games and tournaments still need to be won on the pitch, and that's where talent comes in. Chelsea have spectacularly shown this season that buying lots of expensive players does not mean games will be won automatically, and Pep Guardiola's work on the pitch can still be recognized and celebrated, while at the same time, a serious conversation about how it has been achieved can also take place in parallel.