There was a moment during Pep Guardiola’s first season in England when it occurred to me he may not only be the greatest coach in the world, but also the most underrated.

Last December Manchester City lost 4-2 at Leicester City - the opponents they face this weekend. What followed was a full-scale re-evaluation of Guardiola’s methods. Everything he stood for was scrutinised, many arguing his approach could not work in England.

For every word of praise for his extraordinary success, there is always a mutter of cynicism lurking in the background. This criticism peaked in ferocity that afternoon.

“Look at the players he was lucky enough to manage in Barcelona,” some argued.

“How much competition did he have in Germany with Bayern Munich? What about all the money he’s spent at Manchester City? How can he not win?”

I am increasingly enraged by the ignorance of this sneering. What we are seeing at City this season is more compelling evidence of a master at work – a manager creating a great side out of good players; a manager winning by implementing a style we have never seen in this country: Total Football.

When I saw City’s starting XI at the start of the season, I was not awestruck by individual quality. There were question marks against several players.