Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola managed his 1,000th football match since breaking onto the scene almost two decades ago as Barcelona’s B team manager on Sunday and sealed a monumental win while at it.
The Catalan saw his team demolish Liverpool by three goals to nil in a contest that was largely one-sided, which was a bit of a disappointment to many neutrals who had come to expect fierce clashes between both sides.
Regardless, it did not stop the Citizens, led by Guardiola, from enjoying their win, which also took them one step closer to their goal of reaching the pinnacle of the 2025/26 Premier League table.
Goals from Erling Haaland, Nico Gonzalez, and Jeremy Doku sealed the win for the hosts, giving Guardiola lots of satisfaction as he celebrated his thousandth match as a football manager.
“I thank so much the players, the staff, and the backroom staff so much for giving me this present,” he said. “I don’t like too much to talk about myself, but 1,000 games is a lot, and what Liverpool means here in my career, to do it that way, I’m so proud.”
“Everyone has been top, I’m really pleased.”
He added: “I don’t want to betray myself. I love when we take the ball, and we pass it.”
“That’s why we press high to regain the ball quickly. I like to see my team play short passes, and the guys who have the ability to run one-on-one have to do it.”
“The first half was very good offensively and defensively. We had the threat in behind. In the second half, we talk about the duels. Our mindset is to win the ball.”
Guardiola has constantly said that Liverpool has been his toughest opponent in his career, which was largely due to his rivalry with their former boss, Jürgen Klopp, who left the club following the completion of the 2023/24 season. Both managers had epic battles and elevated the quality of football in the Premier League as a result.
“It has been nice to play against them – Virgil, Robertson, and Salah – we have done 1,000 battles,” the former Bayern Munich manager said.
“I think Pep Lijnders, my assistant, represents a bit of Jurgen in a small way. It has been a special night with my kids here, so it was good.”
In that time, as well, the City boss has won 716 matches and a whopping 40 trophies, including 18 during nine-and-a-half seasons at City.
