Pep Guardiola Points to Preseason Match vs. Tottenham as Season-Defining Moment
Pep Guardiola has singled out Manchester City's preseason encounter with Tottenham as the defining moment he knew he could be creating something special at the club.
At that point, the Catalonian was preparing to bounce back from his first term in English football, which brought only Champions League qualification in what was a relatively underwhelming and trophy-less campaign.
However, as he explained to Sky Sports ahead of his side's 5-0 demolition of Swansea City on Sunday, the 47-year-old knew this year would be different, and earmarked the north west outfit's 3-0 win over Spurs in July as a defining moment.
"In preseason against Tottenham, that was so important," Guardiola said. "We could not beat Spurs last season but in L.A. the way we played made me say 'wow'.
"I know preseason games are friendlies but they showed we could play in different ways. There was a moment at halftime and after the game when we told the players not to forgot what they did that day, because that was the level we had to maintain.
"That level was so, so good in terms of the result and the way we were hungry and aggressive with and without the ball."
However, as with any title-winning season, there are encounters along the way that catalyze the success that is to come, and Guardiola believes City's victories over Bournemouth, Liverpool and Chelsea proved pivotal in the long-run.
"After that there were two or three moments," he added. "After drawing against Everton, winning at Bournemouth in the 97th minute was so important.
"It was an international break after that game so doubts could have crept in had we gone into that with two draws. Winning against Liverpool when we came back was important too, that got us on our way to 18 wins in a row.
"When you win 18 games in a row that gives you a big chance to be champions. Also during those 18 games at the beginning to going and winning at Stamford Bridge.
"Those are the key three points at the beginning of the season which were so important in making us believe that we can do it and that we can compete everywhere because we won against the last champions at Stamford Bridge.
"The way we played made people start to believe and then we won again and again and again and the record was 13, 14 and 15. That was so, so important because we knew we could lose one game.
"In the last period, winning in London at Arsenal and then Chelsea at home made the big difference to be champions."
