Ranking 5 greatest Manchester City players of the Pep Guardiola era
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have undoubtedly been the most potent Premier League team in recent times. Since the takeover by Sheikh Mansour in 2008, Manchester City have won the most domestic titles in England (5). The only major trophy that eludes Cityzens is the UEFA Champions League.
The blue half of Manchester was quite successful under Roberto Mancini and Manuel Pellegrini. However, Guardiola took them to a whole new level. Manchester City are well on course to win an unprecedented fourth league title over the last five seasons.
Pep Guardiola's Manchester City have been exceptionally dominant
Pep Guardiola, Best Manager in the history of the English Premier League in terms of Stats [The Sun] #Pep https://t.co/PKftYIoqQ9
Despite facing enormous competition from Jurgen Klopp's Liverpool, the former Barcelona manager has held his own as far as domestic trophies are concerned.
Most of the all-time Manchester City greats like Vincent Kompany, Yaya Toure and David Silva barely played during the Spanish manager's reign. Hence, it's hard to list down the best players during his tenure.
Another reason this is an arduous task is because of Guardiola's rotation system. Manchester City's second-string team are almost as good as their main team. One can never predict what team the Spaniard puts out in a given match.
With that being said, here are the top five Manchester City players of the Guardiola era:
#5 Ilkay Gundogan
Ilkay Gundogan hasn't always been a Manchester City regular. The German midfielder is the Spanish manager's third most used player. However, that number could have easily proliferated if Gundogan had been used more.
The former Borussia Dortmund man enjoyed a fruitful 2020-21 campaign. He scored 13 goals and provided three assists in the Premier League a season when Manchester City didn't have a recognized striker. The 31-year-old was their top scorer last season.
Ilkay Gündogan has scored more Premier League goals than any other Man City player this season.
He now has six goals in his last eight Premier League games. https://t.co/LoF16jln7k
Gundogan is a unique player at Etihad Stadium. Neither is he a defensive midfielder like Rodri nor is he an attack-minded midfielder like Kevin de Bruyne or Bernardo Silva. He drifts in the middle of the park, providing control and attacking play to Cityzens.
Overall, he has scored 44 goals and recorded 31 assists in 233 appearances under the Spaniard.
#4 Ederson Moraes
Ederson Moraes (and previously Claudio Bravo) was acquired by the Spanish manager as the Spanish manager wanted a goalkeeper that was good on his feet. While earlier it felt harsh on Joe Hart, it makes total sense now that Ederson has performed brilliantly.
The Brazilian is not only an efficient passer but is also a supreme shot-stopper. The 28-year-old has won the Golden Glove award for two seasons running and is the favorite to win it for a third consecutive time. He has kept most Premier League clean sheets (47) since the start of the 2019-20 campaign.
Safe hands 👐
Ederson: 2020/21 @CocaCola_GB Golden Glove winner 🙌 https://t.co/rAUYhrzU31
The former Benfica man's on-the-ball ability is as good as some professional outfield players. His sweeper-keeper capabilities are crucial in the way Manchester City are set up. Despite being a goalkeeper, he has provided three assists in 219 Manchester City appearances.