Pep Guardiola is not only a coaching genius but also the best I’ve seen at ‘managing upwards’ — a hugely important part of the modern game.
He has a fantastic budget and players to work with, yet it’s not true that he gets everything he wants by clicking his fingers. He had his heart set on a top centre forward two years ago but City couldn’t get a deal over the line for Harry Kane or Cristiano Ronaldo.
Some managers would have spent weeks whingeing about it but there was no posturing from Pep.