Still happy you came to England, Pep? (Photo: Getty Images)
Remember when Pep Guardiola was the best thing that had ever happened to the Premier League?
Back in the early days of this season, the Manchester City boss was being lauded as a footballing genius. On arriving in England, many had questioned whether the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss' tiki-taka style of play would translate to Premier League success. 10 wins in a row to start his reign appeared to have not only quashed those doubts… it proved Guardiola truly was the best manager on the planet.
How times change...
Fast forward just a few months, and things look very different.
Having been big favourites for the title, Man City are now fifth, ten points off the top. Their defence in shambles. Their goalkeeper is a laughing stock. And incredibly, Guardiola has ALREADY given up on winning the league.
Pep has clearly discovered that life in the Premier League is far more difficult than he expected - as these five remarkable facts prove:
1. Pep Guardiola has already lost five league games this season - he's never lost more in a single campaign as a manager.
We're halfway through the season and the Spaniard has already suffered more defeats in a season than he has during any other campaign in his managerial career.
2. The 4-0 defeat at Everton was the heaviest league defeat of Guardiola's entire managerial career.
Speaks for itself, this one.
3. In four of their last seven Premier League games, Manchester City have conceded with the first shot they've faced.
Doesn't say much for his team's defensive resilience, does it?
4. Pep Guardiola won 75% of his competitive matches with Bayern Munich. He has won 59% of his games with Man City.
He never had to deal with this when he was facing the likes of Inglostadt, Darmstadt or Hamburg…
5. Guardiola's Bayern kept a clean sheet in 53% of matches. Guardiola's City have kept a clean sheet in 25% of matches so far.
We could mention the goalkeeper or the infamous "I don't coach tackles" quote here… but we don't like to kick a man while he's down.
Still enjoying life in England, Pep?
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