Pep Guardiola might not have been able to believe his luck this season - and yet nothing about his history-making reign at Manchester City can be attributed to chance. Guardiola has changed the game on these shores and, so far, conquered every challenge which has been thrown in his direction. Except one.
Sixteen months have passed since Kai Havertz settled the scores in Porto to hand City an agonising defeat in their closest pursuit for European honours to date. That came at a time when now former Chelsea figures Thomas Tuchel and Roman Abramovich had yet to meet in person owing to constraints from the Covid-19 pandemic.
So much has changed since then - not simply at Stamford Bridge - but Guardiola and his star-studded team remain in the crosshairs for would-be challengers. Alarmingly so for Liverpool, Chelsea and others, though, their main target has moved further into the faded distance.
