Guardiola hailed as 'obsessive' genius behind Man City winning machine

Pep Guardiola was eulogised on Monday for his relentless hunger for success that propelled Manchester City to a second consecutive Premier League title after a titanic battle with Liverpool.

Guardiola claimed his eighth league title in 10 seasons as a coach in charge of Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City as the English champions followed up their record 100-point campaign last season with another stunning 98-point season thanks to a 4-1 victory at Brighton.

That meant Liverpool's long wait for a first league title since 1990 continued despite the Reds posting the third-highest Premier League points tally ever with 97 after they beat Wolves 2-0 on Sunday.

"Pep's party," ran the headline in the Guardian newspaper. "The only real world star in this set-up is the manager.

"They didn't go for (Cristiano) Ronaldo or (Lionel) Messi but invested in fine young players, almost all of whom have been pushed to the outer levels of their talent."
"This is the opposite of what we have come to expect from champion City sides. And it is a vindication of the daily intensity and demands of their obsessive manager."
- Intoxicating race -
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"Encapsulating this campaign is a battle of superlatives. Liverpool were amazingly good. Incredibly, City were even better."