<\/p>\n
591 games, 416 wins, 20 trophies.<\/p>\n
Pep Guardiola will leave Manchester City<\/a> having secured a legacy as one of English football\u2019s most influential figures, boasting a trophy cabinet that is bettered only by the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson.<\/p>\n Since taking charge of Manchester City in 2016, Guardiola has won six Premier League titles and three FA Cup titles, also lifting the Champions League and FIFA Club World Cup in 2023.<\/p>\n Get all the latest football news, highlights and analysis delivered straight to your inbox with Fox Sports Sportmail. Sign up now ><\/a><\/b><\/i><\/p>\n The 55-year-old helped Manchester City win the League Cup and FA Cup this season, while the club could still snatch the Premier League from Arsenal\u2019s grasp if the Gunners trip at the final hurdle next week.<\/p>\n The club has arranged a parade through Manchester to celebrate this season\u2019s twin triumphs, which could serve as Guardiola\u2019s farewell. <\/p>\n Former Chelsea boss Enzo Maresca is widely expected to replace Guardiola, who was contracted with Manchester City until June 2027.<\/p>\n \u201cPep\u2019s legacy is far greater than Manchester City,\u201d former City defender Joleon Lescott said. <\/p>\n \u201cHis legacy and the importance he has had is huge throughout the football pyramid.<\/p>\n \u201cPep\u2019s influence on coaches and football in general is far greater than anyone realises.\u201d<\/p>\n Writing for BBC Sport<\/a><\/i>, Phil McNulty celebrated Guardiola\u2019s tactical innovation and focus on possession and passing, including a \u2018six-second rule\u2019 to regain lost possession through aggressive, time-limited counter-pressing.<\/p>\n The Spaniard created a brand of football that has been copied from grassroots through to the elite level, with rivals scrambling to mimick his approach.<\/p>\n \u201cIn his decade at City, Guardiola has not just shaped elite football and the game in the league\u2019s pyramids. He has had an impact at every level down to grassroots, where even junior coaches adopt his strategies,\u201d McNulty penned.<\/p>\n \u201cAs Guardiola has micro-managed City\u2019s players like a great conductor from the sidelines, he has produced teams, styles, and tactical innovations that will provide a framework for the modern game, now and in the future.<\/p>\n \u201cGuardiola has effectively shaped the game\u2019s future at all levels, from Manchester City themselves to the Premier League and throughout Europe.<\/p>\n \u201cWatch football at any level and you will see coaches and players, young and old, mimicking what Guardiola has brought to the game.\u201d<\/p>\n The Athletic\u2019s<\/a><\/i> Daniel Taylor also acknowledged Guardiola\u2019s impact on England\u2019s football landscape, claimed that he \u201cwill be remembered among the genuine greats of his profession\u201d.<\/p>\n \u201cJust look how his influence stretches to the lower divisions of English football and the number of teams who have used Project Pep to change their own thinking,\u201d Taylor wrote.<\/p>\n \u201cLook how his tactics have been copied, how it is the norm these days at every level of the sport for attacks to build from the back, and how his methodology has been taken on by a small army of other coaches.<\/p>\n \u201cIt is the same all the way down the football pyramid, from kids\u2019 matches to grassroots level. It all starts with Guardiola \u2014 a pioneer, a shape-changer, a history-maker, even before taking into account that it would need a small aircraft hangar to store all his trophies.\u201d<\/p>\n Mourinho set for return to Real Madrid | 00:22<\/p>\n The Athletic\u2019s Thom Harris showed that passing accuracy in the Premier League has increased since Guardiola arrived in England \u2014 from 79 per cent in 2016\/17 to 83 per cent in 2025\/26 \u2014 arguing the improvement was no coincidence.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore him, English football\u2019s most successful managers championed physicality, directness and quick combinations on the counter-attack,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cGuardiola sought to slow things down control games with settled possession, and move the ball into spaces that the meticulous planning and player positioning would create.<\/p>\n \u201cSuch was the success of Guardiola\u2019s side that teams soon began to imitate his approach… average pass completion statistics through England\u2019s top four leagues crept up as his City team flourished, with more sides prioritising technical players and practising passing patterns to help them play through the press.\u201d<\/p>\n