Pep Guardiola: Four reasons why he can succeed at City

Manchester City have confirmed that Pep Guardiola will take over Manuel Pellegrini as manager next season.

The current Bayern Munich manager will take over from Pellegrini on June 30.

Following his announcement a few weeks ago that Guardiola will leave Bayern Munich, many clubs have contacted the Spaniard in an attempt to secure his signature and after a huge amount of speculation, Guardiola is on his way to England. With the news that Guardiola is on his way to the Etihad in the summer, The Sports Lowdown look at some reasons why the Spanish manager can succeed at City:

Finances
A great factor why Guardiola can be a success is that Manchester City are one of the richest clubs in the world. Since the arrival of multi-billionaire Sheikh Mansour in 2008, City have spent over £750m in transfers. With a – manager in the Spaniard, he will be able to afford and attract many world-class players to the Etihad, which will bring domestic and potential European success for years to come.

World Class Manager
This is without doubt one of the best signings Manchester City have ever made in their history. The squad depth and quality is very good to start with, they have a new multi-million pound training complex, which could produce some potential great footballers and now a  manager to guide the team. Guardiola fits all the bills, the 45-year-old has won a total of 19 trophies at Barcelona and Bayern from 2008-present, including the treble-winning season of 2008/09 while at the Spanish giants. With this phenomenal record, Manchester City are inheriting a manager who brings success wherever he goes as a manager.

Style of play
Perhaps the greatest reason why Guardiola is regarded as one of the best managers in the world? Definitely. The “tiki-taka” style of play is based on short passing and movement, working the ball through channels and maintaining possession throughout. Guardiola has based his success on this style of play, and once mastered by his players, the result is nothing short of brilliance. Teams have tried to emulate the style and managers are starting to base their formations on this philosophy. The best example was when Guardiola’s Barcelona side of 2010/11 humiliated their arch-rivals Real Madrid 5-0, which is still seen as his greatest victory in management, and without doubt the best example of “tiki-taka” being perfected.

Champions League
Despite spending nearly £1billon in the transfer market over recent year, which has resulted in domestic success, Manchester City have disappointed in the Champions League. The blues have never gone beyond the round of 16, having been beaten 3 years in a row at this stage. With Guardiola winning the competition twice as a manager, his experience and stature will no doubt give City a strong chance of going much further in the competition.