Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City arrival in 2016 was greeted by many with a scepticism that the methods that made him so successful in Spain and Germany might not work in England.
A fourth Premier League title in five seasons, confirmed by an incredible victory over Aston Villa on Sunday, makes a mockery of that initial doubt. There is widespread acceptance now that his approach has changed football in the country dramatically.
A visit to a non-league game, a youth match or even a five-a-side pitch in England would once have been a guarantee of seeing a brand of football focused mainly on winning, with style not an important factor.
