Premier League triumph 'special' for Guardiola

Pep Guardiola says winning the Premier League for the first time represents one of the most gratifying achievements of his career.

Manchester City lifted the trophy on Sunday following a 0-0 draw with Huddersfield Town at the Etihad Stadium, which puts them 17 points clear of Manchester United at the top.

Guardiola won three league titles during his time in charge of both Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but endured a difficult first season in England as City came third in the league and failed to win silverware.

The 47-year-old insists he never stopped believing in his footballing philosophy, though, having won a domestic double of league and EFL Cup trophies in a superb campaign.

"It's the Premier League. England is special, it's so tough, today we saw it. We got it, we did it," he told Sky Sports.

"You never know you are going to win but I didn't have doubts about what we tried to do. Defeats are part of competition, nothing special.

"You win, you lose, but always you have to try to do what you believe."

Having claimed three domestic titles in a row with both Barca and Bayern, Guardiola is prepared for the challenge of trying to do likewise with City, adding that Sunday's surprisingly poor performance against Huddersfield shows they can improve next term.

"Today was the proof – we can do better," he said. "It was warm, so tough, 11 players there [from Huddersfield] playing to stay in the Premier League. We lost a little bit of focus this week but it's normal.

"Here, it's more difficult. Especially with Manchester City. But I think the most important thing is to play well and after we'll see what is our level.

"We saw what happened in the last period. The team who won the next season didn't qualfiy for the Champions League. Back to back in this league will be tough but we accept the challenge."

Club captain Vincent Kompany praised Guardiola and his coaching staff for bringing a new impetus to the club.

"I personally needed it and I think this team needed it," said the centre-back, now a three-time champion in England. "This team deserves it more than ever.

"You can't forget the impact of the gaffer. It was massive. The team has been so willing to learn.

"We had many players who were on and off and it's almost like it's had no impact on the season whatsoever, which is a credit to the coaching staff.

"This is worth every single minute in the gym."