Pep Guardiola see to oversee his 1000th match as head coach
How Pep Guardiola reached to the 1000 matches landmark?
City take on Liverpool on Sunday, November 9 at the Etihad Stadium
Pep Guardiola is all set to reach a major milestone of 1000 matches as head coach, something he wouldn't have thought when he took over the FC Barcelona B team in 2007/08 as his first managerial job.
On Sunday, November 9 against an opponent that has been his biggest challenge in England, Pep Guardiola will join the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Jose Mourinho, Arsene Wenger and Manuel Pellegrini among others to have managed 1000 games.
What will make it even more special is the home crowd of the Etihad Stadium which will welcome reigning champions Liverpool on matchday 11 of the Premier League 2025/26.
This is a very important fixture for both the teams, who are firm contenders for the top-flight title this season. Only 1 points separate the two teams with City at 2nd (19 points) and Liverpool at 4th (18 points).
Manchester City head into this match in supreme form after thrashing Borussia Dortmund 4-1 in the UEFA Champions League earlier in the week and also defeated Bournemouth and Swansea City 3-1.
The kind of form Man City are carrying, Pep Guardiola would want to win his 716th match in his 1000th appearance as manager. His opponents for the landmark 90 minutes at the Etihad, Liverpool have been the central and most consistent challenge to Guardiola since the 2017.
He has been able to keep Liverpool second in a title fight on the last day, twice by a gap of just a point in 2018/19 and 2021/22.
"I never thought for one second about reaching 1,000 games. You just want to do a good job, play football the right way and see what happens.” - Pep Guardiola said on the eve of City Vs Liverpool.
“I have been so fortunate in my career to work for three amazing clubs. At Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City, I have had full support. It means I have been able to work without distraction and be the best manager I can be." - Guardiola added.
How Pep Guardiola Reached 1000 Matches As Manager?
Pep Guardiola started off with the FC Barcelona B team in 2007/08 before joining the main team for the golden 2008/09 season which saw Barca win the treble of Champions league, La Liga and Copa Del Rey.
The team, which featured a young Lionel Messi, Carlos Puyol and Xavi-Iniesta, went on to win 11 more trophies over the next three seasons under him with another treble in 2010/11 and he left after 179 wins from 247 matches.
He had won 28 games from 42 appearances as head coach of Barcelona B and also held a record of 6 trophies in a calendar year with Blaugrana.
He then went on Germany to join Bayern Munich where he shaped Joshua Kimmich and improved or transformed Robert Lewandowski's goal scoring prowess.
Guardiola won three straight Bundesliga titles with Bayer from 2013 to 2016, winning 121 times in 161 matches before arriving at Manchester City in 2017 and staying for a record period of time with his 10th season running.
After a tough start to life in England during the 2016/17 season, where he went without trophy for the first time in his managerial career, Guardiola made Manchester City: the Centurions (2017/18), domestic treble winners (2018/19), maiden European treble winners (2022/23) and the first club to win 4 consecutive PL titles. He has won 18 trophies from 549 matches at Manchester City.
