Pep Guardiola’s unwanted first as Arsenal end Manchester City’s reign

For the first time in his coaching career, Pep Guardiola has failed to win a league title in two consecutive seasons.

Manchester City’s 1-1 draw away to Bournemouth on Tuesday ensured Arsenal became 2025-26 Premier League champions, ending a 22-year title drought. The Gunners take the crown from Liverpool, who lifted the trophy 12 months ago in Arne Slot’s first season at Anfield.

City will finish as runners-up to Arsenal after finishing third, 13 points behind Liverpool, in 2024-25.

A rare dip in Guardiola’s dominance

Prior to that, Guardiola had led the Sky Blues to four successive Premier League titles, the first time that feat had been achieved in English soccer. City also won back-to-back titles in 2017-18 and 2018-19, giving the former Barcelona coach a total of six championships in 10 seasons in England.

The Catalan coach finished third in his first season in 2016-17 and was runner-up to Liverpool three years later.

Although it has not been confirmed, reports suggest Guardiola will leave City at the end of the season, despite still having a year left on his contract.

A trophy machine before Manchester City

Prior to joining City, Guardiola had been a head coach for eight seasons, in which he won seven league titles.

Before his breakthrough with Barcelona, he coached Barcelona Atlètic, the club’s reserve team, to the league title in Spain’s regional fourth tier in 2007-08. That earned him the chance to coach the first team, by which time Lionel Messi, Xavi, Andrés Iniesta and company were already established stars.

Guardiola’s Barça won three straight LaLiga championships before being knocked off their perch by Real Madrid in José Mourinho’s second season.

After leaving the club in the summer of 2012, Guardiola took a year off before joining Bayern Munich, where he won the Bundesliga three seasons running.

The numbers behind Guardiola’s legacy

All in all, Guardiola has won 40 trophies in his coaching career, 20 of which have come in his 10 years with City. He has lifted the Champions League three times, twice with Barcelona and once in Manchester.

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