The Blueprint

Book excerpt: FOREWORD BY NEDUM ONUOHA The year is 2012. Manchester City have failed in an audacious attempt to appoint Pep Guardiola, the most sought-after manager in world football. They watch as he wins consecutive league titles with Bayern Munich instead. The year is 2016. Guardiola has finally been courted by City. But his first season at the Etihad will be his first ever without a trophy. After drawing the first home game of his second season, he will shut himself away in the dressing room, inconsolable. The year is 2018. Manchester City followed that fateful draw with eighteen wins in a row. They will win the Premier League with a record, rampant 100 points - a now legendary 'Centurion' season. The year is 2023. Manchester City have just sealed an historic Treble by winning the Champions League in Istanbul, enhancing their legacy and Guardiola's. The world's most ambitious sporting project has come full circle and is ready to turn again. Throughout this project, Chief Manchester City Writer at the Manchester Evening News, Simon Bajkowski, has been alongside the team. Complete with unrivalled insight and new interviews, this book is a study in high-performance sporting excellence and elite management. But more than that, it is a true insider's guide: to how Manchester City won an historic Treble in 2023, a record fourth consecutive Premier League win in 2024 and how a near-perfect footballing machine was built from the ground up. Prepare for The Blueprint: a remarkable yet controversial ride through a sporting dynasty.