1 of 5

Matthew Ashton - AMA/Getty Images

It was in the final days of May 2016 that Guardiola made a secret trip to Manchester and spoke with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak about his plans for the club.

He had already been named their new manager but had not yet begun his role, and he was outlining how he would help them become a dominant force in European football.

Khaldoon did not need convincing. Sources explained at the time how he had been excited for months at the prospect of taking on "a proven winner." There was no other manager in the world he would rather have had.

We now know the first year did not go to plan, but the message from inside City is that it only intensified the desire of Khaldoon and owner Sheikh Mansour to bring unrivalled success to the club.

In January, watching on as the club faltered, City's top brass vowed to ensure the manager was backed with whatever funds were needed to raise their level.

Khaldoon has spoken of his ambition before, but interestingly, journalist Jack Gaughan, who covers Manchester City for the Daily Mail, explained to me how they have managed to do so without seeming threatening.

"Publicly, there hasn't seemed a great deal of pressure," he said. "Guardiola consistently talks about how much time City need before being able to challenge. However, there is a sense that winning this needs to happen sooner rather than later if they are to further boost their global brand."

It's an ideal working environment for Guardiola: Full backing of the board and the tools to take on anyone in Europe, without fear of losing his job.



Compare that to a club like PSG, where huge funds are being invested with an obvious expectation that Champions League success will follow, and you realise Guardiola may never experience such perfect conditions again.