Appointed City manager in the summer of 2016, Guardiola’s overarching influence has been most amply demonstrated in City’s incredible trophy haul during his Etihad tenure to date.
Our 2021-22 Premier League title triumph made it 11 major trophies under Pep’s leadership in the past five years.
However, Murray believes the Catalan’s influence has been even more profound – and not just on City but the English game as a whole.
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Not least in terms of way the England national team have also been beneficiaries of Pep’s inspired leadership and coaching through City’s exciting group of domestic talent.
“The impact and influence of Pep Guardiola since he became City manager has been massive,” asserted Murray, who over the course of the past two decades has established himself as one of the game’s most respected commentators.
“(England manager) Gareth Southgate has spoken about what Pep’s done and the way he has developed players – Phil Foden being the clearest example of that.
“And, of course, there are other young players emerging like Cole Palmer and James McAtee.
“Right now, we can see another generation of exciting young City players coming through.
“And they wouldn’t be on the bench and in contention if they didn’t think they were good enough.
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“That also has massive potential in terms of what might happen with the England team going forward.
“Whoever is England manager (in the future) - whether its Gareth or someone else - stands to benefit massively from what Pep has done.
“Just look at the way Raheem Sterling has developed into another key player for England. Would he be the same player had he not been playing under Pep Guardiola?”
Murray also pointed to Pep’s huge impact in the way his fellow and aspiring football coaches saw the game and wanted their own teams to play.
The Beeb’s voice of football says that the way Guardiola has shaped the identity of City’s beautiful brand of football was echoing through dressing rooms up and down the country.
“The next generation of managers right across the range they are saying ‘What I want to do is play possession football,’ ie play it like the way that Guardiola does,” Murray added.
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“So, Pep is having a massive influence on the way the game is being player now.
“After all, people want to copy what the best teams and best managers do.”
