The only player who can finally assist Pep end Lionel Messi’s hoodoo at City
Pep Guardiola is well-versed in working with renowned number 10s, and the crucial decision he made regarding Jack Grealish two years ago could help the Manchester City manager end a long-standing jinx in his record-setting coaching career.
With numerous trophies in his cabinet, Guardiola has nothing left to prove as a manager, and the manner in which he has won has helped revolutionize the modern game.
Nonetheless, there is always a lone dissenter waiting to advance their agenda with a weighted or irrelevant point.
It defies logic that Guardiola has not won the Champions League in 12 years, but the reality is that the Catalan has yet to win Europe’s most prestigious trophy without a certain Lionel Messi. Messi won it before and after Guardiola while he was at Barcelona.
City is two matches away from completing a historic treble this season, and regardless of his other accomplishments, Guardiola will undoubtedly view this as his crowning achievement. It will undoubtedly extinguish any remaining skeptics.
Erling Haaland and his goal-den touch have been essential to this ongoing charge, but it is impossible to discount Grealish’s improvement and growing significance. He will eternally carry the £100 million price tag, but after two more victories, the England playmaker may appear to be a bargain.
Guardiola and Grealish, along with the complete City squad, are potentially 180 minutes away from immortality, and it would be impossible to ignore trends between now and their previous Champions League final appearance. It was not meant to be on that occasion, as City turned to their checkbook to assuage their sorrows.
Grealish was given the number 10 uniform by Manchester City after Guardiola’s aggressive pursuit of him after the Chelsea defeat; not Kane or Messi, both of whom could be on the move this summer.
Guardiola stated at the time regarding Grealish, “He will wear the number 10 jersey because we were so confident in Jack Grealish and that Leo would remain at Barcelona. We recruited Jack because we believed Messi would remain there; we believed Jack would be ideal for us.
For the next five or six years, he will be an exceptional player given his age and talent. We will create the ideal environment for him to showcase his aptitude, as he has many friends here who know him.
“We believe we have an incredible talent – not just the skills, but also the mentality – and he’s about to enter the prime of his career.” He made an outstanding contribution for Aston Villa, and he can take us to the next level.”
Guardiola had faith in Grealish, and he has reached the next level. It has been anything but smooth navigation for the playmaker or his manager along the way, but another monumental step may be on the horizon.
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The only player who can finally assist Pep end Lionel Messi’s hoodoo at City