There is a Catalan saying - Seny i Rauxa - and Pep is the embodiment of it.
‘Seny i Rauxa’ is the Catalan ‘ying’ and ‘yang’. It is two opposing forces working alongside each other to create something special.
‘Seny’ is the calm, composed, thoughtful, calculated side of the Catalan. While ‘Rauxa’ is the impulsive, wild, crazy, raucous side of the Catalan. When they come together, they complete each other, and great things happen.
This is Pep down to a tee.
In these ten years, everything we’ve seen at City has come from Pep’s cultural Seny i Rauxa. The level of detail that has gone into the planning of everything with the explosive elements that have destroyed teams.
Pep orchastrated the greatest football ever played in this country. Bringing together the calm passing and movement from the likes of David Silva, Bernardo Silva and Gündoğan, keeping our attacks ticking over. To the destructive balls into the corridor of uncertainty from De Bruyne and the thunderbastards in off the bar from outside the box from Kun Agüero. Having Ederson’s threat of being able to play like another outfield player along the back line to being able to ping pin-point balls 60-yards for an assist. Playing games with a man more than the opposition every week, creating time and space for everyone in the opposition half. The finesse of Stones moving up into midfield, to the brute power and leadership of Kompany. Rodri bossing games in the middle of the pitch, to Sterling’s movement and ability to get on the end of things up top. To having Fabian Delph and Zinchenko playing at left back, tucking into midfield and not looking out of place in teams that got 198 points across two seasons.
100 points, 106 goals, Centurions… domestic quadruple, with 14 wins in a row to win the PL with 98 points… the unbelievable quality of performances by the greatest ever English team… nearly winning a treble in 2021, the heartbreak of losing the CL final (which was needed before going on to eventually win it)… the comeback against Villa in the wildest 5 minutes I’ve ever seen in a football stadium to from from 0-2 to 3-2 to win the PL… the treble, coming from behind to win the PL, beating the Rags to win the FA Cup and the unbelievable Bayern+Madrid wins to get to the CL final and Rodri’s goal to win it in Istanbul… running on empty after all that to set the record of four league titles in a row…
2017-2024 Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City, won’t be topped for a very very long time!