da heads bet： The Catalan coach has always had brilliant teams, but this current City side rival the Blaugrana from 12 years ago as his best ever
da 888： Pep Guardiola has overseen two of the greatest teams in European football in the last two decades. His Barcelona side won every competition they entered in the 2008-09 campaign, with the Champions League triumph being the jewel in the crown after beating Manchester United 2-0 in Rome.
But two years later, he outdid himself, and his Barca team were even more mesmerising when they swept to another La Liga title and won the Champions League once more by beating Manchester United 3-1 at Wembley. It was after that game that Sir Alex Ferguson could do little but doff his cap at the victors.
"Nobody's given us a hiding like that but they deserve it. In my time as manager, it's the best team I've faced. I think everyone acknowledges that, and I accept it," he said. Guardiola – who also oversaw a 5-0 victory over Real Madrid that season – never quite scaled the same heights with his Bayern Munich side as Champions League glory evaded them, but his current Manchester City team are now on the brink of winning Europe's biggest prize and completing the treble.
City have swept aside some of the best teams in Europe on their way towards the treble, hammering Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United in the Premier League and outclassing RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich and Real Madrid in Europe.
But which of his two teams had the better players? GOAL picks the best combined XI from Guardiola's class of 2011 and his current City squad…
LaLigaGK: Victor Valdes
The Catalan was one of the first modern ball-playing goalkeepers, and although he dropped the odd clanger when playing out from the back, Guardiola always stood by his side. He was a better all-round goalkeeper than Ederson, but his career never really recovered after a knee injury in 2014.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesRB: Dani Alves
The Brazilian was Guardiola's first signing and revolutionised the role of right-back, playing more like an attacking midfielder than a defender. He struck up a telepathic understanding with Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernandez, frequently receiving a pass from the midfielder out wide and crossing for the Argentine to score.
GettyCB: Ruben Dias
The Portuguese is the leader of City's defence and so hard to beat one-v-one or in the air. His biggest assets are his physical prowess and intelligence, but he is also skilled on the ball, a prerequisite for any player who wants to play for Guardiola.
He gets into the combined XI over Javier Mascherano due to his traditional defensive qualities, and over Carles Puyol, whose career was coming to an end due to injuries by 2011.
GettyCB: Gerard Pique
Pique was one of the best players of his era at playing out from the back, an ability that he honed when he played as a forward in his youth. He worked up an unlikely winning partnership with Puyol, his polar opposite, and then with Mascherano when Puyol's injury problems piled up.
He did not always see eye to eye with Guardiola, but went on to thrive long after the coach left, spending more than 13 years with Barcelona before ending his contract last November, renouncing €30 million he was owed.