Pep Guardiola’s two greatest masterpieces: Barcelona 2011 vs Man City 2023 Combined XI

City has knocked off some of the top teams in Europe to get the treble, beating Arsenal, Liverpool, and Manchester United in the Premier League and outclassing RB Leipzig, Bayern Munich, and Real Madrid in Europe.

Which of his teams featured the best players? Goal chooses the best combination XI of Guardiola’s class of 2011. And his present City team…

The Catalan coach has always had great teams, but the present City team is a direct challenge to the Blaugrana from a year ago to be his greatest ever.

Pep Guardiola has managed two of the most successful team in European football over the last two years. His Barcelona team won every tournament they played in the 2008-09 season as well as winning the Champions League triumph being the highlight of the season following their 2-0 win over Manchester United 2-0 in Rome.

Two years later, He surpassed himself, as well as his Barca team was even more impressive when they cruised towards yet another La Liga title and won the Champions League once more by defeating Manchester United 3-1 at Wembley. Following that game, the legendary Sir Alex Ferguson could do little except smirk at the winners.

“Nobody’s given us a hiding like that but they deserve it. In my time as manager, it’s the best team I’ve faced. I think everyone acknowledges that, and I accept it,” the manager stated. Guardiola was also in charge of the team’s 5-0 victory against Real Madrid that season – did not reach the same heights as the Bayern Munich side as Champions League glory was never theirs however, the team at present Manchester City team is now close to winning Europe’s most prestigious prize and complete the treble.

GK: Victor Valdes

The Catalan was among the first modern goalkeepers who played ball even though he made some slack in his play from behind, Guardiola always stood by his side. He was a superior all-round goalkeeper than Ederson However, his career didn’t really recover following a knee injury that occurred in the year 2014.

RB: Dani Alves

The Brazilian was Guardiola’s first signing. He revolutionized the role of a right-back, being more of an attacking midfielder rather than a defensive defender. He developed the same telepathic connection between Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernandez who would often receive a ball from the midfielder to the wide area and then cross it to allow an Argentine in order to strike.

CB: Ruben Dias

It is said that the Portuguese are the mainstay of the City’s defense and are difficult to defeat one-on-one or from the air. The most important assets he has are his physical strength and shrewdness, but the Portuguese are also proficient on the ball, which is a requirement for anyone who wishes to join Guardiola’s team.

He’s part of the XI that he is in with Javier Mascherano due to his classic defensive abilities and also in the XI over Carles Puyol, who was nearing the end due to injuries in 2011.

CB: Gerard Pique

Pique was among the most effective players of his time playing in the back which was an ability developed when he played as a forward during his early years. He forged an unlikely winning team with Puyol who was his opposite as well as with Mascherano after Puyol’s injuries have gotten worse.

He didn’t always see the same way as Guardiola, but he continued to flourish even after Guardiola’s departure after 13 years at Barcelona before the end of his contract in November and renouncing the EUR30 million he was due.

LB: Nathan Ake

The former Bournemouth defender has figured out the best position for him in his third season with City with the position of an inverted right-back. The Guardiola team has a tendency to revolve the majority of their strategy around bringing players to Erling Haaland The coach has had to ask his defenders to solely focus on defense.

Ake has been a star in this role, and Guardiola has been raving about his performances during the season. With a team like this defense, the Dutchman’s defensive skills will surely come in handy.

CM: Xavi Hernandez

The current coach of Barca was Guardiola’s puppet master side and a ferocious player. He was the one who shaped the team’s play as well as Guardiola’s eyes and ears watching the field, and his de facto captain because of Puyol’s injuries.

Xavi beat Guardiola in the span of three years and was then appointed manager as well as winning the La Liga title in his first full season as manager of the Catalans.

CM: Sergio Busquets

Busquets is a rare midfielder who is not well-known for being fast or strong. However, he compensated for his shortcomings by being a better savant than everyone else in his ability to anticipate every move.

He has a unique skill of throttling out the opposition’s attack and launching an extremely dangerous play for his team in just a few touches. Barcelona will surely be missing the player since he’s left Barcelona, as there’s no doubt that he’ll be known as one of the best midfielders to ever hold, along with Guardiola.

CM: Andres Iniesta

The magician who knit Barca’s show together. Iniesta performed with poise and skill that has never been witnessed. He formed a world-class duo with Xavi and Xavi, with Ferguson noting that the two “have never given the ball away in their lives”.

He was also incredibly loyal to Guardiola, giving his support to the coach after his failure to win in his two first games.

RW: Lionel Messi

The Argentine became the most successful player of all time under Guardiola who pushed him in the ‘false 9 role. This season, 2010-11 was his best with 52 goals scored across every competition.

Messi’s stunning strike in the 1-0 win over Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final’s opening match in Santiago Bernabeu is the best remembered. He also scored at the end of the match against United to regain Barca’s lead.

ST: Erling Haaland

Guardiola has spent the majority of his career as a coach not having the traditional center forward and the presence of Haaland has added City much more formidable. This isn’t just about the 52 goals he scored in 52 games, but also his ability to play.

The presence of Norway within the box lets City smash crosses into him, preventing players from sitting down as his speed hinders teams from using the highest line.

LW: Kevin De Bruyne

De Bruyne has been Guardiola’s most consistent and mesmerizing player at City and, in fact, only just behind Messi as the greatest footballer in the history of football. Catalan has ever played with.

It is said that the Belgian has a telepathic connection to Haaland. This implies that he is required to be part of the team, however, it is also based by virtue of the merits of his individual. He is an assist machine and is a superb goal scorer and scorer of fantastic goals.