Pep Guardiola was eulogised on Monday for his relentless hunger for success that propelled Manchester City to a second consecutive Premier League title after a titanic battle with Liverpool.
Guardiola claimed his eighth league title in 10 seasons as a coach in charge of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City as the English champions followed up their record 100-point campaign last season with another stunning 98-point season thanks to a 4-1 victory at Brighton.
That meant Liverpool’s long wait for a first league title since 1990 continued despite the Reds posting the third-highest Premier League points tally ever with 97 after they beat Wolves 2-0 on Sunday.
🥈 @LFC P 38 W 30 D 7 L 1 PTS 97
"First of all, we have to say congratulations to Liverpool, of course, and thank you so much."
Pep Guardiola salutes @LFC after @ManCity title triumph: https://t.co/X5XGkwxO0g pic.twitter.com/tjUIX7fWX1
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) May 13, 2019
“Pep’s party,” ran the headline in the Guardian newspaper. “The only real world star in this set-up is the manager.
“They didn’t go for (Cristiano) Ronaldo or (Lionel) Messi but invested in fine young players, almost all of whom have been pushed to the outer levels of their talent.”
City became the first side in a decade to retain the title as Guardiola’s demands ensured there was no drop-off at the Etihad as has happened in the seasons that followed title wins under Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini.
“Manchester City could buy great players, good enough to take them up the mountain, but they could never stay there. Because you cannot buy hunger, the sustaining daily hunger that drove the greatest teams of other eras,” said the Independent.
“Senior officials at City say that they have never seen as much focus and character from a City side in the modern era as what they have seen this season.
“This is the opposite of what we have come to expect from champion City sides. And it is a vindication of the daily intensity and demands of their obsessive manager.”
Liverpool, whose season could still end in glory if they win the Champions League next month, were also praised for the contribution they made to a thrilling race.
“Nothing underscores the brilliance of Pep Guardiola’s team more than the presence of Liverpool a short neck behind. Liverpool are, without doubt, one of the greatest teams the competition has ever seen,” said the Daily Mail.
“Encapsulating this campaign is a battle of superlatives. Liverpool were amazingly good. Incredibly, City were even better.”
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said this season is just the beginning of a journey for his side, but in their three-decade wait to win the league, the Reds have finished second before and failed to build on it the following season.