Pep Guardiola has surpassed even Jose Mourinho by presenting himself as the 'The Exceptional One' and says criticism of his first season at Manchester City is due to the standards he set earlier in his managerial career.
Guardiola, in fighting mood ahead of Sunday's clash with Liverpool after a bruising midweek Champions League exit in Monaco, highlighted the fact that he has not broken the bank to sign one player, unlike Mourinho, who paid a world record £89.3million for Paul Pogba.
Like his fellow Galactico coach Mourinho — who called himself The Special One in 2004 at Chelsea — Guardiola is felt to have underachieved this season since replacing Manuel Pellegrini.