The imminent departure of Pep Guardiola, which is close to being confirmed, leaves England without a coach surrounded by glory and genius, after a decade that was far from being limited to the multiple trophies collected by the Spaniard with Manchester City.

The Daily Mail lit the first fuse on Monday evening by announcing the news that all Citizens people had been dreading, and it spread like wildfire through the British and world press.

The man who transformed the sky-blue team into an all-powerful monster, aided in his revolution by iconic footballers and a wealthy Emirati owner, is preparing to leave the ship at the end of the season, after the last league match on Sunday.

When questioned on the subject, Guardiola regularly repeated that he had one year left on his contract, without, however, completely putting an end to the speculation.

In Bournemouth on Tuesday evening, broadcaster Sky Sports avoided any direct questions on the subject, only asking him if the media attention had bothered him in his preparation for this crucial Premier League match. "Absolutely not," he replied.

- Convictions and reinventions -

In ten years, its trophy cabinet has filled with twenty titles, including six in the most competitive league in the world, not to mention the Champions League in 2023, the very first in history for the club from northwest England.

In the Premier League, he made history with several records, such as the 100 points collected for his first title in 2018, and the four consecutive titles from 2021 to 2024.

He also waged a superb battle with Jürgen Klopp's Liverpool, whom he dominated by a single point in 2019 and then in 2022, thanks to a stunning victory against Aston Villa (3-2) on the final day.

But beyond the titles, there is the footballing imprint left by the 55-year-old coach on English and European football, elite or amateur.

Guardiola's style is characterized by a polished game sprinkled with technique and audacity, short and quick passes, particularly for building play from the back, even under pressure. He has also redefined certain positions, or transformed certain players, such as John Stones and his hybrid role between defense and midfield.

Pep is about strong convictions but also constant reinventions, a mind that never stops.

- Maresca, discipline and successor? -

"He changed the way I see football," said his current captain, Bernardo Silva, on Sunday after winning a third FA Cup alongside him.

The Portuguese midfielder, also leaving, will forever be associated with Guardiola's Manchester years, as were Sergio Agüero, Fernandinho, David Silva, Kevin De Bruyne, Rodri or Ilkay Gündogan, the captain of the historic treble of 2023, before him.

That year, the Citizens achieved a "Treble" (league, FA Cup and Champions League) which only Alex Ferguson's Manchester United had managed to do, in 1999.

The Catalan follows in the footsteps of the Scot in the record books and the collective imagination, even though his elder stayed much longer (27 years) on the bench of the Red Devils, the rival neighbor.

Guardiola has inspired a whole generation of coaches, some of whom learned directly from him: Vincent Kompany, his former captain and current coach of Bayern Munich, or his former assistants Mikel Arteta and Enzo Maresca.

The first is on the verge of winning the English championship with Arsenal before the Champions League final against Paris SG; the second is strongly tipped to succeed him on the Manchester City bench.

AFP