MANCHESTER City have won their first of seemingly many trophies under Pep Guardiola, but as the first glimmering piece of silverware was salvaged, an irony emerged amongst the elation.
A Carabao Cup triumph over a woeful Arsenal side christened the Spaniard’s trophy cabinet at the Etihad as one of world football’s most highly rated tacticians prepares to create a new dynasty, one demanded by his employers.
In a Manchester City squad that’s seen an investment of over £650m in the past three seasons alone, it was a trio of players who arrived the better part of a decade ago for relatively cheap fees who struck to kick-start the success.
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Sergio Aguero, who arrived in 2011-12 for a then mammoth price of £32m opened the scoring before long term captain Vincent Kompany and 2010-11 signing David Silva completed the 3-0 rout at Wembley.
Now the elder statesmen of the City squad, these players have been boosted by Pep’s philosophy and now shape as the leaders of the initial stages of Guardiola’s imperial quest to rule Europe and the Premier League for years to come.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp believes that City will go onto enjoy a period of domination in home soil and continentally.
PODCAST: Adam Peacock, Simon Hill and Daniel Garb break down all the Round 21 A-League action, plus Man City’s Carabao Cup Final win.
“This club is creating a dynasty now,” he said.
“They’ve got so much potential and have so many experienced players with Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero, David Silva. These are three players who have pretty much been there since the start and the change in ownership.
“The style of football they play, the manager is an incredible human being with the way he gets his team playing and the belief that he has.
“They deserve it and it’s quite scary for everyone else in the Premier League right now and Europe because they are quite capable of dominating everything.”
Guardiola arrived at City with a winning reputation. During his first top flight managerial stint with Barcelona, Guardiola won three consecutive La Ligas, two Spanish Cups and two Champions Leagues in four short years at the Camp Nou.
He then moved onto a new challenge, jumping ship to Bayern Munich where he secured three Bundesliga titles on the trot as well as two German Cups in three seasons in Bavaria before joining City in 2016.
However, the Champions League eluded him – a stark reminder here that this Cup trophy can only be the catalyst for more, not the cause for celebration on its own.
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“You just wonder how long he’ll stay here for,” Redknapp said.
“His projects have usually been for two or three years and then he moves on. Here, you just believe there’s something special that he can do.
“The average age of the squad is young, they’re dominating youth football now and at this level. You can see this club going from strength to strength.”
“Pep improves players. (David) Silva is even better this year and Kevin De Bruyne has gone on to another level. He seems to do that with everybody.”
City have been remarkably dominant in the Premier League this season and sit 13 points clear at the table summit with eleven matches still to play. They’ve been equally damaging in Europe, with betting markets backing the Citizens as outright favourites to win Europe’s most prestigious club trophy despite the illustrious set of challengers – a group which they want to be bracketed in. The breathtaking and sophisticated nature of their football hints that that is a very real possibility, with a legacy to come with it.
The Carabao Cup is a start, and despite the ironic opening to the Guardiola dynasty, it appears a near certainty that the boss with a reputation for winning will continue doing so across the continent to forge a legacy, much like, dare we say it, occurred on the other side of Manchester.
