Manchester City are close to becoming Pep Guardiola's greatest project

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City side have routinely overwhelmed teams this season – ruthlessly cutting down rivals and spanking aside relegation scrappers. This isn't anything new for a Guardiola side, but this time they have done so playing a style of football that has impressed neutrals all across Europe and triggered intense feelings of envy from rival fans.

They are on course to win 3 more trophies by the end of this year and will take some stopping.

But yet, they aren’t quite the finished article, which makes this whole project extremely scary for rival teams and fans. At the helm of it is Pep Guardiola, a manager who has already won everything there is to win.

In his hometown club Barcelona, Pep was lucky enough to inherit a squad that understood the Cruyff way, playing that style under his predecessor Frank Rijkaard. He still had work to do though, and few would have foreseen the success he brought to his hometown club.

He started off by clearing the deadwood, including big names like Ronaldinho and Deco, and began investing in youth from La Masia, bringing through Pedro and Sergio Busquets. He brought back Gerard Pique to bolster the defence, but his biggest achievement was unleashing the world’s greatest player on opposition teams.

On paper, these seem like easy tasks, however, the execution that led to Barcelona’s greatest period of success was a tiny glimpse into his genius brain.

His vision for Barcelona directly aligned with the backroom staff, namely Joan Laporta and so it was somewhat cathartic then that his final season, which yielded the ‘least’ trophies in his tenure was done so under a new president who had a different vision for the club.

The Johan Cruyff ‘dream team’ way of playing that had been synonymous with the club was being left behind for a more practical, financially rewarding one.

Guardiola was at the forefront of probably the greatest team ever seen in the modern era

Nobody realized what the game lost in his one-year hiatus, and what the world lost, Germany gained the following season.

Inheriting a Bayern Munich squad that had won the treble the previous year, it was hard to see how Guardiola could possibly take things any further. The pressure was on.

The only way things would be considered a success is if he wins the Champions League again. An unnecessary bar to have been pre-set for Guardiola, it would be his ‘undoing’ at the club not managing to win it for Bayern in his three years at the club.

And yet, the plaudits he won from fans of the Bundesliga were widespread. The style of football he implemented won over all of his players. Veterans of the game like Ribery and Robben loved playing under him, and the board members were staunch in their defence of his appointment.

The team’s ability to retain possession, attack with pace, and relentlessly press had not been seen in Germany before and it led to 3 straight Bundesliga titles. He was also at the head of a 19-match winning streak and led Bayern to their most successful period in their own illustrious history.

His third season was somewhat of a disappointment as he decided not to extend his three-year deal. Bayern wrapped up the Bundesliga title with ease but came up short in the German Cup and Champions League. Yet, he left as a legend. Players and fans alike sent him off with a sense of longing. He had made his mark in Munich.

Guardiola is still extremely well-liked in Munich

His announcement as Man City manager came with great expectations. How soon would he wrap up the Premier League title? Who would he bring in? Was he cut out for the ‘English’ way of playing football?

On the surface to the average fan, Manchester City last season didn’t click under Guardiola. They lost out to Chelsea for the Premier League title and finished the season trophy-less. Immediately waves of critics began picking apart Guardiola’s tactical errors and his lack of ‘nous’ of how the game is played in England.

Nobody knew that soon Guardiola would have everyone playing his game.

At City, Guardiola has everything at his disposal. Having linked back up with former teammate and later Sporting Director at Barcelona, Txiki Begiristain. Guardiola seemed to have regained control on every level of the football club.

Having Txiki with him is key to that and shows a thought process that is almost mirrored, similar to their time in Barcelona.

Guardiola and City have spent big, but on young names like Leroy Sane, Gabriel Jesus and Olexandr Zinchenko, Benjamin Mendy, around whom he has a solid core to build his side.

City's new recruits have had no problem sliding into the team

He has simultaneously promoted from within, having brought players like Phil Foden and Brahim Diaz up to play with the likes of Sergio Aguero and David Silva. Despite the problems with Aguero, Guardiola has used him well, allowing him to express himself when needed, but fitting him into the team structure.

In David Silva and Kevin De Bruyne, Guardiola has his hybrid versions of Xavi and Iniesta.

While neither of the players’ talent has ever been questioned, few could have seen them step up with this much determination as they have this season. De Bruyne, with a major point to prove has stepped into the role of a leader, and David Silva finally catching the eye of neutrals who have inexplicably been overlooking him over the past seasons.

Silva has developed into a real leader under Pep this season

In Benjamin Mendy and Kyle Walker, Guardiola has two tank-like fullbacks who have the energy to constantly run up and down the touchline, and also the ability on the ball to play as the inverted full back and become the extra man in midfield that is key to Guardiola’s playing style and tactical setup.

Had Mendy not been prematurely injured, who knows what heights his team would have scaled, despite Zinchenko – a playmaker and a no. 10 – and Fabian Delph deputizing well in that position.

City have a tough draw in the Champions League against Liverpool but should they go through, they will be in the semis for the 2nd time in 3 years. At that point, it will be almost impossible to predict who wins it all, although they will be much stronger this time around.

The most unpredictable part of the season still lies ahead, and with City out of the FA Cup, the dream of steamrolling all competitions is out of reach this season. But the way City are going, it’ll be hard to see anyone stopping them the next few seasons.

The foundations are set; with limitless resources, a side that is constantly decreasing in age and increasing in talent, a youth system that is churning out more genius by the day and a manager that has such raw hunger and passion for the game, it’s safe to say that the sky is the limit for this team. They are all set to become Pep’s greatest project so far.