A banner inside Manchester City's Etihad Stadium on Sunday adorned a picture of the team's coach and printed with the words "Pep Guardiola changed football."
The Spaniard had no intention of boasting of his achievements during the celebration of City's fifth Premier League title in six seasons.
But his record speaks for him, including 11 league titles in 15 seasons as coach of Barcelona, then Bayern Munich and now City.
In the next three weeks, he could take City further if they win the FA Cup and Champions League to complete a historic treble.
Guardiola wins Premier League title for fifth 🏆🏆🏆🏆🏆 time #الدوري_الإنكليزي #مانشستر_سيتي pic.twitter.com/bFuCyYClVX
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) May 21, 2023
While insisting that failing to win the European title when they face Inter Milan in the final should not diminish what his club has accomplished, Guardiola knows that his City career will probably be ultimately assessed based on his Champions League results.
Guardiola told reporters: "Five Premier League titles in 5 years, I couldn't imagine that."
"I have a feeling that we have achieved something special, but for it to be one of the greatest achievements we have to win the Champions League, otherwise the success will not be complete. We've won a lot but it's undeniable that it would be unfair to have to win the Champions League to give value to what you do."
City were eight points behind Arsenal a few weeks ago in the league race, and Guardiola admitted he believes it is impossible to catch Mikel Arteta's side when he collected 8 points midway through the season.
But City recharged their full capacity and recorded 12 consecutive wins while Arsenal failed to follow the same pace.
The Spaniard, who took charge of City in 2016, added: "In the first half Arsenal collected 50 points and I felt they were doing something extraordinary. We used our ferocity, we refused to give up, we decided to insist on winning every game because we know it's impossible to catch them if we don't."
This is the third time Guardiola has won three consecutive league titles, dominating La Liga between 3 and 2009 and repeating it in the Bundesliga from 2011 to 2014.
🏆🥇 Manchester City crowned the English Premier League title #English_Premier League | #ManchesterCity#PremierLeague pic.twitter.com/qO9tkhby08
— beIN SPORTS (@beINSPORTS) May 21, 2023
Highest standards
Guardiola, the perfectionist, demands the highest standards from his players, even if they are world-class and he constantly strives to develop them.
He spoke about the impact of former Spain midfielder Jack Grealish, who needed time to establish himself at City and did not have full confidence in Guardiola in his first season.
Grealish, who has been in impressive form this season, said: "I can't praise the coach enough. He's a bit strange because he knows almost everything, in some games I ask how will he behave today? He comes up with different plans for us every time. It's a pleasure to work with him, I love him."
He also praised Guardiola's vision of John Stones, a multi-position player who adapted to becoming a defender to a midfielder with flexibility.
"This title is very fun, I played in different positions and roles, it led me to new heights," the England player said.