Pep Guardiola’s transformation of Manchester City this season was sparked by his own shock at failing to master the Premier League in his debut campaign. In finishing third last May – a yawning 15 points behind the champions Chelsea – Guardiola was forced to accept he had underestimated English football. And so the 46-year-old manager, determined to make City successful in his second term in the Premier League, decided he should become more open to advice. From first-team scouts to his inner circle, Guardiola was desperate for any nugget of information that might rocket his team skyward in 2017-18.
His desire to listen and openness to the opinion of others are reaping their rewards – and how. On Sunday at Old Trafford City have the chance to equal the Premier League’s record winning run of 14 games by beating their derby rivals Manchester United. They stand top of the table, eight points clear of José Mourinho’s side. They have scored 46 goals to United’s 35. City are runaway leaders. So whose advice has Guardiola been heeding?
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