Animated, pensive, laughing, jubilant: Pep Guardiola is a manager who has never disguised his emotions and watching Guardiola has almost been as entertaining as watching the Manchester City teams he has built.So, as he prepares to leave the club after 10 trophy-laden years, The Athletic went into the archives to find 10 images that capture something of the essence of the man and his remarkable impact upon English football.Teething problems (2016-17)(Christopher Lee/Getty Images)Guardiola may have conquered Spanish football with his scintillating Barcelona team, perhaps the most eye-pleasing team ever assembled, and dominated the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich, but English football holds different kinds of challenges.Could he do it on a cold, windy Tuesday night in Stoke? That was the question being asked. Many pundits doubted whether his style, as visionary as it was, could stand up to the physicality of the Premier League. On a wet and windy day in December, it was Leicester City and it was a Saturday but, as he gazed down at his sodden shoes, he knew it was going to take more time.The defending champions, who were ominously close to the relegation zone, countered on City for fun in a 4-2 victory. Manchester City had only kept two clean sheets in Guardiola’s opening 15 games. By January, after a 4-0 defeat to Everton at Goodison Park, Guardiola conceded the title was out of reach in his debut season. He would have to settle for third, behind Tottenham and champions Chelsea.Centurions (2017-18)(Clive Mason/Getty Images)This was the moment Guardiola knew he had silenced his doubters in the most emphatic way possible. In a way no other manager had in Premier League history, by reaching an unprecedented 100 points.The league had been wrapped up for weeks but Guardiola and his players were seeking immortality. They got it in the 94th minute of the final game against Southampton when Gabriel Jesus found the winner.After an unforgiving summer overhaul that many expected would require time and patience to get results, it clicked into gear instantly. He had proven he could win in England… his way.The rivalry with Jurgen Klopp(Michael Regan/Getty Images)They say styles makes fights, and Jurgen Klopp was the perfect sparring partner for Guardiola. Heavy metal vs juego de posicion.They had met in Germany with Borussia Dortmund and Bayern Munich but, between 2018-19 and 2023-24, produced perhaps the best rivalry the Premier League has seen.Kevin Keegan and Arsene Wenger tussled with Sir Alex Ferguson, and in the years that followed, Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez battled in the league and in Europe.But few rivalries saw both teams producing record numbers at the same time. Even fewer have different styles, with both vying to be the aggressor, producing multiple high-scoring classics.On the touchline, these two managers were expressive and often enraged, absorbed in the action. Yet, they could usually always find time to smile and embrace one another. It was even a contest to see who was more tactile. This was not grudging respect; it was two men who knew the other was pushing them to greater heights.Klopp’s 11 wins are the most by any manager against Guardiola, while Guardiola’s 10 victories are the most by any manager against the German. Guardiola’s dominance limited Klopp to just one league title but he never beat Klopp’s Liverpool side at Anfield, not in front of fans anyway. That happened in 2021 during the closed-doors period but came without the theatrics that had made these games emotional blockbusters.City reign supreme (May 2022)(Michael Regan/Getty Images)It is the final day of the season and with 20 minutes remaining at the Etihad, ex-Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard had his Aston Villa side 2-0 up with another Anfield ghost, Philippe Coutinho, grabbing the second goal.The title looked like it was heading to Liverpool but Guardiola made a decisive change. Ilkay Gundogan was brought on and moved into a more advanced midfield role. He scored twice to change the game and City pulled off an incredible 3-2 comeback.Tongue out, cracking jokes to John Stones, he was a manager who had made winning seem inevitable, if not easy, even in the seemingly most dire situations.Finally winning the Champions League (May 2023)(Michael Regan – UEFA/UEFA via Getty Images)A hug so tight it sucked the air out of Istanbul’s Olympic Stadium. Finally, they had got their hands on the biggest prize of them all.It looked like they may be destined for another near miss when Kevin De Bruyne, his talisman, limped off in the 36th minute with a hamstring injury. This was a competition in which Guardiola had conspired to overthink his approach in previous years.Outgunned in Monaco, over-cautious in Lyon, no holding midfielder in the final defeat to Chelsea in 2021 and a Real Madrid remontada the following year which left them numb.At the seventh time of trying, Guardiola got it perfect. Even without De Bruyne, his ingenuity to move John Stones into a hybrid midfield role inspired them to a 1-0 victory over Inter Milan.It was the trophy that eluded him at Bayern Munich and he admitted that, no matter the domestic dominance or beauty of the football, he would be judged on whether he could conquer European football. It was the ultimate ambition he and sporting director Txiki Begiristain had been hired to realise.The relief was palpable.Treble celebrations (June 2023)(Paul Ellis / AFP via Getty Images)A cigar to celebrate the treble? This was Guardiola’s Bond moment.On the open-bus celebration through the city, soaking up the adulation of the crowds who had honoured his and his team’s historic achievements on an open-top bus tour.Guardiola completely bought into the ‘Madchester’ scene, befriending Noel Gallagher and even riding the tram with the three trophies to show how at home he had become.Stefan Ortega’s title-winning save (May 2024)(Sky Sports)It was the moment English football stood still. Were Spurs about to giftwrap their north London rivals Arsenal a title?In the 86th minute of the penultimate game of the season, with City only 1-0 up and requiring victory to remain two points clear, a mistake from Manuel Akanji had set Son Heung-min through on goal.Only deputy goalkeeper Stefan Ortega stood in his way, and the gravity of the situation dragged Guardiola to his backside. No tactical ploys or tweaks could save him. He had to simply submit to fate and hope for a miracle against the most clinical two-footed forward the Premier League has seen.His German goalkeeper produced one. A stunning save with his outstretched leg to deny Son, and City went on to kill the game moments later.It was a sliding-doors moment that served as a reminder of just how many of these neck-and-neck title races Guardiola’s side have come out on top of.Changing of the guard (March 2026)(Julian Finney/Getty Images)The master and the apprentice, in sync until the very end. Mikel Arteta, who served as Guardiola’s assistant between 2016 and 2019 at City, flew the nest to rebuild his beloved Arsenal.For the past four years, it has given Guardiola a new enemy to battle, another team pushing his team to the limit. Arteta’s side have had to settle for life as perennial nearly-men and were made to do so one final time in March when Guardiola and his tweed trousers, which became a viral sensation, led City to a 2-0 victory.Had he remained at City, Arteta was the most likely candidate to have succeeded Arteta. Now, with a first title to his name, he is well-placed to attempt his own era of dominance as his former boss leaves the scene.A golden goodbye (May 2026)(Catherine Ivill – AMA/Getty Images)A fitting ending. On the one hand Guardiola, and on the other, the player he describes as his “weakness”, Bernardo Silva, who has played for him more than any other player in his career.Kindred spirits, a coach and player whose infectious passion and deep thinking have kept City driving to new achievements through different configurations and evolving approaches.Without the Portuguese midfielder holding things together last season, Guardiola may not have found the energy necessary to keep going for another year.That he did, and added trophies 19 and 20, is a testament to his ability to rejuvenate people and reinvent ideas.