Pep Guardiola’s arrival at Manchester City in the summer of 2016 heralded the beginning of the club’s most successful period in their history.
While the Catalan was instrumental in evolving City into the all-conquering behemoth they would become in the first half of the 2020s, he was able to inherit a star-packed squad, including one of the Premier League’s most prolific-ever strikers.
By 2016, Sergio Aguero had been in Manchester for five years and was instrumental in the club’s Premier League title victories in 2012 and 2014. And while this combination of an era-defining manager and world-class striker was a tantalising proposition, it did not come without challenges.
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Aguero on adapting to Guardiola
While Aguero would ultimately flourish under Guardiola, he initially faced a transitional period owing to what Guardiola demanded from his front-man when City were without the ball.
“Pep Guardiola arrived as manager in 2016, and at first that was a little complicated for me,” Aguero admits to FourFourTwo.
Guardiola’s interpretation of the forward’s role differed from what Aguero was used to at City under Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini, with the former Barcelona boss introducing his trademark pressing game to the club.
“I wasn’t used to having to maintain the press he was looking for from a striker. But actually, it worked out very well,” he adds.
City would finish third in the table at the end of Guardiola’s first season in charge, but the title was duly delivered 12 months later, with Aguero as prolific as ever.
“Over time, we adapted and ended up helping each other,” he continues. “He demanded so much of me that, well, I scored a lot of goals with him, and won titles.
Aguero would spend five years at City under Guardiola, during which time the forward added three Premier League title, an FA Cup and four League Cups to his medal collection, scoring 124 goals in the process.
It’s a period of his career which Aguero, who left the club in 2021, looks back at fondly.
“The truth is, we ended up having a very nice history at the club together, so I only have words to thank him for everything he did to help me continue scoring goals and making history.
“For me, Pep is the best coach I ever had – he’s the best coach in the world.”
