Guardiola: 4 Coaches Who Finished Above Man City Boss in 14 Seasons At The Top

• Pep Guardiola is entering his 15th season as a first-team manager
• He made his coaching debut with Barcelona in the 2008/09 season
• He also managed Bayern Munich and is coaching at Manchester City

Pep Guardiola will oversee the 15th season of his managerial career when Manchester City kick off their title defence against Burnley on August 11, managed by his former player, Vincent Kompany.

The Spaniard began his senior managerial career at FC Barcelona in the 2008/09 season.

After four seasons in his homeland, Guardiola had a three-year spell with Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga before moving to England in 2016, where he has remained since.

Sports Brief looks at the four managers who have guided a team to finish ahead of the Spanish tactician - even though only three won the league title - as first analysed by Planet Football.

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1. Jose Mourinho

The Special One was the first manager to beat a team managed by Guardiola to a league title. He guided Real Madrid to the La Liga title with 100 points in the 2011/12 season and scored a record 122 goals, as reported by Bleacher Report. That spelt the end of Guardiola's association with Barcelona, and he proceeded on a one-year sabbatical before turning up at Bayern Munich.

2. Antonio Conte

Guardiola and Conte stepped into England at the same time. The Italian took over a Chelsea team that finished 10th and guided it to league victory, while Pep took Man City a place higher from 4th to 3rd. However, instant success did not mean sustainability, as City have won the EPL times since the Blues last won it.

3. Mauricio Pochettino

The Chelsea boss has an unwanted record of finishing ahead of Guardiola and not winning the league title. He guided Tottenham Hotspur to consecutive second-place finishes, with Spurs finishing 8 ahead of City in the 2016/17 term.

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4. Jurgen Klopp

Only two managers have denied Guardiola a league title in England: Conte and Jurgen Klopp. The German helped Liverpool to their first Premier League title in 30 years in the 2019/20 season, a year halted by the coronavirus pandemic. City had denied the Reds a league title a year before with 97 points.

7 strikers coached by Guardiola

Sports Brief analysed the top 7 strikers coached by Pep Guardiola, and it is a testament to the importance of a potent goal-scorer to the success of his managerial career.

African legend, Samuel Eto'o, and Sergio Aguero are some of the greats, while he currently possesses Erling Haaland, who smashed many EPL goal records last season.