When assessing the reasons for Manchester City’s recent success, one major and obvious factor is that the Blues have been blessed with some fine players over the last decade.
Big names such as Sergio Agüero, David Silva and Kevin de Bruyne have all been in the team at one stage and have helped raise the profile of the club on a global level.
Their impact was so great that the two former - alongside ex-captain Vincent Kompany - now all have statues outside the Etihad Stadium.
Yet no great team is complete without a world class coach and the Premier League champions currently have the best of the best with master tactician Pep Guardiola, who has steered the club to 11 trophies while at the helm.
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This silverware haul includes an amazing four Premier League titles in just five years, including back-to-back league titles on two occasions.
Yet he did not achieve such a feat alone, as he was accompanied by many staff in his trophy plight, not least assistant coach Juanma Lillo.
The Spanish coach joined in 2020 following the departure of Mikel Arteta, who moved to become the head coach of Premier League rivals Arsenal, where the Spaniard remains today.
Pep Guardiola always had held Juanma Lillo up as an inspiration to him, with the former Real Sociedad manager acting as a key figure in helping the Catalan cultivate his footballing philosophy.
During his time at the club, the assistant coach helped guide Manchester City to two consecutive Premier League titles as well a League Cup and a first ever Champions League final in 2021.
It has been announced though that Juanma Lillo will depart Manchester City to become head coach at Qatari team, Al-Sadd.
Although several names were in the hat to replace him at the club, it now appears his role will be filled by former Manchester City man Enzo Maresca, according to Fabrizio Romano.
“Manchester City have reached full agreement with Enzo Maresca to re-join the club as Pep Guardiola’s assistant,” tweeted the Italian journalist. The Italian coach had previously worked with Manchester City’s U23 team and was most recently manager of Parma.
Topics: Manchester City, Premier League, Pep Guardiola
Edward Burnett