Only six managers in modern football have managed to finish a league season above teams coached by Pep Guardiola — a remarkable statistic that highlights the Spaniard’s dominance across his time at FC Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Manchester City F.C..
Since becoming a senior manager, Guardiola has won 12 league titles in 17 seasons, finishing second three times and third twice. On the few occasions he has fallen short, it has taken exceptional campaigns from some of football’s top managers.
Here are the six coaches who managed to beat Guardiola over a full league season.
José Mourinho – Real Madrid (2011–12)
Mourinho became the first manager to finish above Guardiola when he led Real Madrid CF to the 2011–12 La Liga title.
After Guardiola’s Barcelona won three straight league titles between 2008 and 2011, Mourinho’s Madrid side responded with a record-breaking campaign, finishing with 100 points and ending the season nine points clear of Barcelona despite Lionel Messi scoring 50 league goals.
Antonio Conte – Chelsea (2016–17)
Conte joined the list during Guardiola’s first season in England.
The Italian transformed Chelsea F.C. after switching to a back-three system, sparking a dominant run that eventually saw Chelsea win the Premier League title by 15 points ahead of Manchester City.
Mauricio Pochettino – Tottenham (2016–17)
Pochettino also finished above Guardiola in the same season after guiding Tottenham Hotspur F.C. to second place.
Tottenham produced one of the strongest campaigns in the club’s modern history, driven by stars like Harry Kane, Son Heung-min, Dele Alli and Christian Eriksen.
Jürgen Klopp – Liverpool (2019–20)
Klopp remains the only manager to beat Guardiola in multiple title races.
After narrowly missing out in the 2018–19 season, Klopp returned with a dominant Liverpool F.C. side that won the 2019–20 Premier League title with 99 points, finishing 18 points clear of Manchester City.
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Arne Slot – Liverpool (2024–25)
Slot added his name to the list after guiding Liverpool to the 2024–25 Premier League title.
His side took advantage of a rare dip in form from Manchester City following their dominant run in English football, securing the league title convincingly.
Mikel Arteta – Arsenal
Arteta stands out as the only manager to finish above Guardiola twice.
The former Guardiola assistant led Arsenal F.C. to back-to-back finishes ahead of Manchester City, establishing himself as Guardiola’s most consistent challenger in recent years.
Together, these six managers form an exclusive group that managed to outpace one of football’s most successful and dominant coaches across a full league campaign.
