Pep Guardiola: 'Jurgen has been a really important part. He brought me to another level'
FOUR IN A ROW: Pep Guardiola brings Manceshter City to new heights winning the Premier League for a fourth time in a row. Pic: Michael Regan/Getty Images
THE unwelcome pitch invasion that delayed the trophy presentation by a good half an hour at the Etihad last night almost did something that nobody and nothing else has managed this season - stopping Pep Guardiola from getting his hands on the Premier League trophy.
Four straight league titles has become something of a Holy Grail in English football. After all, of the five previous teams to attempt it - Huddersfield in the 1920s, Arsenal a decade later, Liverpool in the eighties, and Manchester United twice under Sir Alex Ferguson - only one team has ever come within 10 points of achieving it.
That was United, who lost the 2010 league title to Chelsea by a single point, a sign of the magnitude of the task that was facing Guardiola as he attempted to write his name into the football history books last August.
And, as Liverpool and Arsenal pushed them over the first eight months of the season, City discovered just how hard that achievement truly is.
Ultimately, the campaign swung on two key factors.
Five weeks ago, yesterday, an incredible day saw Liverpool lose at home to Crystal Palace and Arsenal do the same to Aston Villa - a sequence of results that put the destiny of the title back into the hands of Guardiola and City.
“If you are looking for a turning point, it was that weekend,” said Guardiola. “In that moment I felt, okay they have given us a chance, they will not give us another chance. We took it.”
That was all they needed. Guardiola was in the midst of ending the season with a 23-match unbeaten run; 19 of them victories and with only Chelsea, Liverpool and Arsenal able to even collect draws against them in 2024.
And the second factor was the man who was at the centre of the latest title-winning efforts yesterday, the Premier Leaguer’s player of the year Phil Foden.
If last season’s treble-winning exploits were defined by Erling Haaland’s prodigious goal-scoring efforts and the sublime artistry of Kevin De Bruyne, this season has seen City symbolically handed over to Foden, for now and possibly years to come.
Still only 23, Foden has six titles to his name already. By comparison, all-time leader on the league title list is Ryan Giggs who was 26 when he reached his half-dozen.
But more than silverware, Foden’s artistry and ability to take control of games has reached a new level this season as his two goals in the opening 18 minutes against the Hammers proved. It took him on to 14 goals in his last 14 league games and 27 for the campaign - his 19 Premier League goals the fourth-highest in the charts.
"It is so hard to put into words what we've done today,” said Foden. “No team has ever done it, we have put ourselves into the history books. "I think to win the Premier League four times, no team has ever done it before, so to do it means we are up there [with the best teams of all time]. I am just absolutely shattered to be honest.
"I never get bored of it, you want this feeling every time. When you win something there is no better feeling. I want to keep winning as much as I can."
If Foden gives the impression of a star-struck kid living out his dream on a daily basis, that is probably because there is more than an element of that in the life of the Stockport-born City fan who grew up to play for his beloved club and help them reach unprecedented glories.
It was apparent in the way he celebrated after 78 seconds when he ripped the heart of the Hammers - and the Gunners - by receiving a Bernardo Silva pass with an insanely exquisite touch and beating Alphonse Areola from the edge of the area.
On 18 minutes, he doubled the lead when the latest in a long line of relentless attacks came down the left and ended with Jeremy Doku picking out Foden in a crowded area, for the England man to finish left-footed from 12 yards.
The goal of the day, an overhead kick from Mohammed Kudus just after the restart added some brief, unexpected drama but, on 59 minutes, Rodri shot City into a 3-1 lead after Kevin De Bruyne and Silva combined.
It was a predictably dominant end to an astonishing season from Guardiola’s team, with the manager paying tribute to runners-up Mikel Arteta and Arsenal but reserving special praise for his retiring rival Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool.
“I will miss him a lot,” said an emotional Guardiola. “Jurgen has been a really important part of my life. He brought me to another level as a manager. “We respect each other incredibly. I have the feeling he will be back but he knows that behind me there is a lot that this club provides me with, otherwise alone I can't do it. “I’m humble enough to understand that. He helps me with his team, he has been a huge competitor in my life. I'm pretty sure Mikel will continue his legacy to drive us to another level. I wish him all the best and hope his final game was special, he deserved it.”
City fans may well be experiencing what Liverpool supporters went through yesterday 12 months from now, bidding farewell to a legendary manager. Before then, however, there appear to be plenty of moments for them to savour - starting next week.
“Gary Lineker has just told me that no team has done back to back Premier League and FA Cups,” said Guardiola. “What I want is for my players is to enjoy two or three days but right now I don't know what exactly the motivation is to do it, because it's difficult to find it when everything is done. “But knowing the players and myself i know that when we are there we will say why should we not win today? Why should we not work as much as possible to do what we have to do? And I know we are going to do it.”
: Ortega 7; Walker 7, Dias 6, Akanji 6 (Ake 70, 6), Gvardiol 7; Rodri 7; Silva 7, De Bruyne 8, Foden 10 (Kovacic 90), Doku 7; Haaland 6.
: Stones, Grealish, J Alvarez, Nunes, Carson, Bobb, Lewis.
Areola 8; Coufal 6, Mavropanos 7, Zouma 5, Cresswell 5, Emerson 5 (A Alvarez 71, 5); Soucek 7, Ward-Prowse 7, Paqueta 6 (Ings 86); Kudus 8; Antonio 5 (Earthy 81).
: Fabianski, Johnson, Cornet, Ogbonna, Casey, Mubama.
J Brooks 7
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
