The Champions League Has No Su Dong This Year!

"Beautifully done, lads!"

In the visitors' dressing room at Emirates Stadium, Guardiola lavished praise on the team's performance.

The moment he entered, the Man City manager made no attempt to hide his pride in the team's first-half performance.

And it was no wonder. Last season, he had endured so much frustration leading the team that now, finally able to hold his head high, he felt completely relieved.

Last season, Man City had dominated possession, but their attack and results had failed to satisfy. In the end, they had only scraped into the Europa League. For a club that had invested so heavily for two consecutive years, that was hardly convincing.

Guardiola was a rookie manager and had already faced controversy. He had even come close to being sacked.

It could be said that last season, everyone at Man City—from Guardiola to Soriano to Begiristain—had been carrying immense pressure and burdens. But this season, all of that had vanished without a trace.

Pepe's arrival had strengthened the team's defense, transforming Man City into the best defensive side in the Premier League. Toni Kroos's arrival had greatly eased the pressure on Busquets and David Silva. Together, the three formed Man City's impregnable possession triangle.

But the most crucial factor was still Su Dong.

Guardiola clearly remembered that someone had once asked him why Santa Cruz had performed so well at Blackburn, yet failed to do the same after coming to Man City under his management.

At the time, Guardiola's answer had been that Blackburn's style of football was not modern enough.

Many people had mocked that statement. Man City's results had been poor then, so even if Guardiola had merely spoken the truth, eating a mouthful of food would have been treated as a crime, and breathing in a little air would