Manchester City boss, Pep Guardiola, has signed a contract extension that means he’s set to remain at the club until 2027. After speculation that he could move on at the end of the 2024/25 season, the news will come as a massive relief to City fans and it’s been welcomed by many pundits, players and managers in the English game. But how important is Pep to City and how does he compare to the best managers from Man City’s history and the Premier League in general?
Guardiola’s Record at Manchester City
Manchester City won trophies before Pep Guardiola turned up in 2016. It’s fair to say that the club’s trophy cabinet has been filled significantly since the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich man took the helm.
Guardiola’s Man City Trophy Wins
Here’s a summary of his silverware to date with Man City:
- Premier League – 2017/18, 2018/19, 2020/21, 2021/22, 2022/23, 2023/24
- FA Cup – 2018/19, 2022/23
- EFL Cup – 2017/18, 2018/19, 2019/20, 2020/21
- Champions League – 2022/23
- UEFA Super Cup – 2023
- FIFA Club World Cup – 2023
If we include the three Community Shield victories, that is a whopping 18 trophies Pep has won with the Citizens over the years. That puts him miles ahead of the nearest rival when it comes to former Man City managers.
Joe Mercer: Honourable Second
Joe Mercer is closest when considering the number of trophies won. In the dugout from July 1965 to October 1971, Mercer won the top-flight title, the second-tier title, the FA Cup, the League Cup, the Charity Shield and the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup. Not a bad haul by any standards, but that amounts to just a third of Pep’s total.
Other Top Man City Trophy Winning Managers
Aside from Mercer, the other multiple trophy winners for City are:
- Tom Maley (July 1902 to July 1906) – 1x Second Division Title, 1x FA Cup
- Wilf Wild (March 1932 to December 1946) – 1x First Division Title, 1x FA Cup, 1x Charity Shield
- Roberto Mancini (December 2009 to May 2013) – 1x Premier League Title, 1x FA Cup, 1x Community Shield
- Manuel Pellegrini (June 2013 to June 2016) – 1x Premier League Title, 2x League Cups
Pep is well and truly top of the tree when compared to former City bosses. How does he compare when we look at the best managers to have plied their trade in the English Premier League?
Top Premier League Managers by Duration
Before we take a look at silverware won, let us first look at longevity. At the time of writing, Pep has been in charge of City for 3,065 days, just behind former Liverpool boss, Jürgen Klopp (3,146 days), and former Arsenal gaffer, George Graham (3,205 days).
Sir Alex Ferguson & Arsène Wenger Take Top Spots
It should come as no great surprise to anyone who’s followed English football in the last few decades that the man at the top of the pile is Sir Alex Ferguson. He was in charge of Manchester United for 9,704 during the Premier League era, from 1992 to 2013. Arsène Wenger is next, having led Arsenal for 7,894 days.
If we look at the number of Premier League games managed, Wenger is actually slightly ahead of Ferguson as the Frenchman managed 828 Arsenal league matches compared to Ferguson’s 810 for Man United. David Moyes is next having managed 697 Premier League games, split across four clubs: Everton, West Ham United, Manchester United and Sunderland.
Guardiola in 17th Position Currently
Guardiola, meanwhile, is currently back in 17th position having taken charge of 315 Premier League games at the time of writing. If he sees out his full contract, however, he’ll go into the top 10 and leapfrog the likes of Jürgen Klopp, Martin O’Neil, Rafael Benitez, and José Mourinho.
Best Premier League Managers by Silverware
Focusing on Premier League wins alone, Guardiola is currently second on the list with his six titles (so far). The man at the top is once again the true legend of the game, Sir Alex Ferguson. He led the Red Devils to the Premier League title on 13 occasions. The only other managers to have won the title more than once are José Mourinho who won it three times with Chelsea and Arsene Wenger who did the same with Arsenal. It’s unlikely Pep will catch Ferguson’s 13 titles, but he can certainly put a little more clear water between himself and the rest.
One more top-flight title would also move Pep ahead of two pre-Premier League-era managers who also won the title six times: George Ramsey (who won it six times with Aston Villa between 1893/94 and 1909/10) and Bob Paisley (who led Liverpool to glory six times between 1975/76 and 1982/83). Of course, if you include the top-flight titles, Guardiola won in Spain and Germany with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, he’s sitting on a total of 12 – so just one behind the great Ferguson. Could his decision to stay at City come with one eye on surpassing Fergie’s long-standing record?
Guardiola is undoubtedly already one of the greatest managers of all time. If he adds one or two more titles, and perhaps a Champions League too to his impressive haul, he’ll certainly have claims to be the greatest ever. What will come next after Manchester City for Pep? Well, if Thomas Tuchel doesn’t lead the Three Lions to World Cup glory, there’ll certainly be a clamour for Pep to be given the England job!