The manager of Manchester City, Pep Guardiola has been named the League Managers Association (LMA) Manager of the Year for the second time in three years. The Spanish tactician first won the award in the 2017-2018 season for the first time in his managerial career.
The LMA is an annual award ceremony in English football, awarded by the League Managers Association and the most prestigious category of the award is the award given to the manager that achieved the most in an outgoing season.
Pep Guardiola went through the 2020-2021 season as an undisputed football tactician despite starting the Premier League season struggling due to injuries to his top strikers – Sergio Aguero and then Gabriel Jesus.
It got to a point in the season the Spanish tactician could not use a natural top 9 and had to depend on his attacking midfielders, wingers, and midfielders for goals.
Despite such a challenging period, Pep Guardiola was able to manage the team well enough to record just 6 defeats in the Premier League. The team also lost out on the FA Cup in the semi-final stage of the competition.
On the good side, Guardiola and his team recorded 27 victories and 5 draws to garner 86 points in 38 Premier League games. No other club in the league was able to surpass their points. Manchester United came closest with 74 points.
Hence, three games to the end of the Premier League season, Manchester City were already confirmed Premier League champions for the third time in four years.
They became champions of the Premier League weeks after they defeated Tottenham Hotspur in the final of the Carabao Cup.
On May 29, 2021, Pep Guardiola will lead Manchester City to attempt to set a new record in the history of the club. He would lead his team to play Chelsea in the final of the UEFA Champions League for the first time in the history of City.
If the Spanish tactician manages to win the Champions League, he would not only win the treble this season, he would become the first football manager to help Manchester City to win the UEFA Champions League.
Our boss 💙
— Manchester City (@ManCity) May 24, 2021
Congrats to Pep, the @LMA_Managers Manager of the Year! 🏆
🔷 #ManCity | https://t.co/axa0klD5re pic.twitter.com/fVH9Iay1AK
After he was named the LMA football manager of the year, Pep Guardiola said: “I am delighted to win this award for the second time, but an award like this is only possible if a manager is surrounded by top professionals.
“My players have been fantastic – their dedication and professionalism never wavered, even in a season that has been the most challenging we have ever faced.
“And my staff are also deserving of the highest praise. I am so lucky to have a team of people who give everything they have every single day to make sure Manchester City are the best we can be.
“This award is dedicated to and shared with them.”
While Manchester City director of football Txiki Begiristain said: “Pep deserves this award, absolutely. To win the Premier League and Carabao Cup, as well as reach the Champions League final, in the most trying season we’ve ever seen, says everything about his quality as a manager.
“He has shown an outstanding ability to constantly innovate. With the challenges presented by COVID-19, he’s had to adapt to a new way of working. He’s done it brilliantly and our results say everything you need to know.
“And it isn’t just the results – the way we have played has been fantastic. The style of football is exactly what we want from a Manchester City team.”
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