Jack Grealish believes Pep Guardiola is the difference-maker which separates Manchester City from their Premier League rivals.
Few teams have been able to compete with the Spaniard since he arrived in England seven years ago. Five league titles, four League Cups, two FA Cups and a Champions League have cemented an era of dominance at the Etihad.
Only Antonio Conte and Jurgen Klopp have snatched the Premier League from Guardiola’s grasp. But nobody has managed to do so in each of the last three seasons.
Should City lift the trophy again for a fourth consecutive time next May, they will achieve an unprecedented feat in English football. While Klopp is hopeful of mounting a challenge with Liverpool, he could face opposition from Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur.
Both north London clubs have enjoyed solid starts to the campaign but the champions remain on top of the table. Speaking after Man City’s 3-0 rout against Young Boys, Grealish credited Guardiola as the reason for their success.
"Guardiola gives us so much," Grealish said. "In my opinion, he’s the best manager in the world. He’s shown that over the years. You can have the best manager in the world, but you also need the team and dressing room to do that.
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"Before the game, the manager said to me that, when we have the ball, we normally go from me, to (Mateo) Kovacic, to Rodri. But he said 'when they have the five at the back, hit it to the other side straight away instead of going to each player' because that takes longer. I got it to Phil straight away to get at the defender one on one and that’s what he did.
"We have a brilliant team, on the pitch and also off the pitch, we have a team that is so close. We love being with each other and we love playing with each other and that shows on the pitch. I know what I bring to the team aside from goals and assists. Every attacking player wants to score more. We won 3-0, but on another day we could have got five or six."
