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MADRID/BERLIN — In suffocating August heat at the start of the season Real Madrid stayed ice cool to crush Barcelona 5-1 on aggregate in the Spanish Super Cup.

It was a show of force from Spain’s dominant side, the double winners exerting their power over Barcelona and leaving their arch-rivals on the verge of crisis.

New Barca coach Ernesto Valverde looked on helplessly as Brazilian forward Neymar joined Paris St Germain and Real looked unstoppable.

“It’s the first time we’ve felt Madrid are superior,” Barca defender Gerard Pique said after the game.

But as the months passed, it became clear that Real were not capable of defending their league title as Barcelona surged clear at the top of the standings.

Madrid’s league hopes lay in tatters by December, the Catalans raiding the Santiago Bernabeu with a 3-0 win in the Christmas Clasico, and moving 14 points of Zinedine Zidane’s team.

Real were dumped out of the King’s Cup in January on away goals by unheralded Leganes and Barcelona went on to win that trophy for the fourth season in a row.

That was the first step towards a near-certain double for Barcelona, who need one point in their remaining five games to wrest the title back from Real.

Real will ease the pain by retaining their Champions League title, their only hope of salvaging a disappointing season.

They face Bayern Munich in the semifinals as they bid to win it for a third season running, having last season become the first side to retain the trophy by beating Juventus in the final.

The German champions, however, are desperate for revenge after they were eliminated 6-3 on aggregate at the quarter-final stage by Zidane’s side last season in controversial circumstances.

“You need a better referee for a quarter-final,” complained then Bayern coach Carlo Ancelotti after his team had two men sent off over the two legs and Real scored goals from offside positions.

“We’re working hard and, if we’ve done it twice, why wouldn’t we go for that third consecutive Champions League?,” Real defender Dani Carvajal said ahead of Wednesday’s first leg in Munich.

It would not be the first time Real’s season has been salvaged by a European triumph.

In 2016 they lifted the trophy after Barcelona won the double and in 1998 they triumphed after finishing fifth in La Liga.

These star-studded teams are hardly strangers to the latter stages of Europe’s premier tournament and there are four men who know how it feels to represent both the white of Real and the red of Bayern. 

Here we look at their experiences at both clubs.

Heynckes secured a place in the hearts of Real Madrid fans by leading Los Blancos to their seventh European Cup in 1998, and their first in 32 years, with a 1-0 victory over a Juventus side that included Zinedine Zidane. 

Fifteen years later, Heynckes was a European champion again as coach of Bayern, who also won the Bundesliga and the German Cup under his stewardship that season. 

It remains Bayern’s only treble in the club’s history, although Heynckes could still repeat the feat this term, before he retires — for a second time — in the close season. 

Robben moved to Real from Chelsea as one of the deadliest attackers in the world, but his time in the Spanish capital is remembered more for the injuries he accumulated than the goals. 

After scoring only 11 times in 50 league games for Real, he found his rhythm again at Bayern, whom he joined in 2009. 

The Dutchman has won seven Bundesliga titles with the German giants, as well as the Champions League in 2013, and recently followed Franck Ribery in signing a contract extension until 2019. 

Kroos began in Bayern’s youth set-up as a teenager and was the youngest player to make his debut for the club when the German played aged 17. 

He went on to win three Bundesliga titles and the Champions League at Bayern, but a contract dispute in 2014 opened the door to a surprise switch to Real.

LeBron James scored 32 points and Kyle Korver hit two clutch 3-pointers late in the fourth quarter to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 104-100 victory over the Indiana Pacers, evening their first-round play-off series at two games apiece Sunday night in Indianapolis.

James, who hit 12 of 22 field-goal attempts, grabbed a team-high 13 rebounds. Korver scored 18 points, including eight in the final three-plus minutes. JR Smith and Jordan Clarkson each scored 12 points for the Cavaliers.

Game 5 in the best-of-seven Eastern Conference quarter-final series is Wednesday night in Cleveland.

Victor Oladipo sank a 3-pointer to cut Indiana’s deficit to 103-100 with 11.9 seconds to go. Pacers guard Lance Stephenson was called for foul after taking Jeff Green down trying to tie the ball up. Green hit one free throw. Bojan Bogdanovic missed a 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds left, and James sealed it by grabbing the rebound.

Domantas Sabonis came off the bench to lead the Pacers with 19 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Myles Turner contributed 17 points on 7-of-9 shooting. Thaddeus Young added 12 points and a team-high 16 rebounds. Oladipo scored 17 but hit just 5 of 20 shots from the floor. Boganovic, who scored 30 in Game 3 victory, had 10 points, making just 4 of 13 field-goal attempts.

Korver put Cleveland ahead for good at 94-93 with a 3-pointer with 3:48 to play. Following a Pacers miss, James hit a driving layup. After Oladipo’s basket, Korver hit another 3-pointer to make it 99-95.

The Cavaliers shot 44.9 per cent from the field to the Pacers’ 43 per cent. The 3-point shooting was nearly identical with Indiana making 12 of 33 and Cleveland 12 of 34.

The Pacers cut the Cavaliers’ 10-point halftime lead to 80-78 heading to the fourth quarter, the fourth time Indiana trimmed the Cavaliers’ lead to two points in the second half.

Stephenson tied it at 80-all on the first basket of the final quarter. After a James layup, Sabonis drilled a 3-pointer to give the Pacers their first lead since the first quarter.

After the Pacers took a 91-89 lead on Young’s put-back, James got called for a technical foul for shoving Stephenson. Oladipo hit the free throw.

James scored 23 in the first half, and Cleveland held a 60-50 halftime lead.

The Cavaliers’ largest first-half lead was 49-33 midway through the second quarter.

Smith sank a 3-pointer from beyond half-court at the buzzer to give the Cavaliers a 30-24 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Kevin Love picked up his second foul with one-and-a-half minutes gone in the first quarter and was replaced by Tristan Thompson, who saw his first action since Game 1. Love was scoreless in nine-plus minutes in the opening half. He wound up five points on 2-of-10 shooting, though he added 11 rebounds.

The Cavaliers had to play without starting point guard George Hill, who was sidelined due to back spasms. Jose Calderon started in his place and contributed five points and two assists.

Wizards 106, Raptors 98

Bradley Beal scored 31 points before fouling out, and John Wall recorded 27 points, 14 assists, six rebounds and three steals as Washington posted a victory over visiting Toronto to even their Eastern Conference first-round series at two games apiece.

Beal made 5 of 7 3-point attempts before his exit as his teammates closed out the victory in impressive fashion. Marcin Gortat and Otto Porter Jr. added 12 points apiece and Kelly Oubre Jr. scored 10 for the eighth-seeded Wizards. Shortly after Beal’s exit, the Wizards took control with a 12-2 burst to take a 104-96 lead with 21.9 seconds left.

DeMar DeRozan had 35 points, six rebounds and six assists for the top-seeded Raptors, who were outscored 66-47 in the second half. Kyle Lowry made four 3-pointers, while scoring 19 points for Toronto. Game 5 is Wednesday in Toronto.

Bucks 104, Celtics 102

Giannis Antetokounmpo tipped in Malcolm Brogdon’s missed floater for the game-winning bucket with 5.1 seconds remaining as host Milwaukee beat Boston to even the series at 2-2.

Antetokounmpo had 27 points and Khris Middleton had 23 to power Milwaukee, who lost the first two games of its Eastern Conference quarterfinal series in Boston before coming to life with two home wins. Game 5 is Tuesday in Boston.

Boston’s Marcus Morris missed a fadeaway jumper at the buzzer that would have tied it. The Celtics have never lost a play-off series when leading 2-0. Milwaukee, who won 116-92 in Game 3, have never won a series after starting in an 0-2 hole.

Spurs 103, Warriors 90

LaMarcus Aldridge banked in a 3-pointer to stave off a Golden State rally in the fourth quarter, allowing host San Antonio to avoid a sweep in its first-round play-off series.

Game 5 in the best-of-seven series will take place on Tuesday night at Golden State, with the Warriors leading 3-1, one win away from a second-round matchup with the New Orleans Pelicans.

The Spurs never trailed, leading by as many as 10 in the first quarter and 17 in the second as Ettore Messina coached the Spurs in the season-saving win as head coach Gregg Popovich missed his second straight game following the death of his wife Erin. Aldridge scored a team-high 22 points. Kevin Durant led the Warriors with 34 points and 13 rebounds.

LONDON — Jose Mourinho can become the third manager to win the FA Cup with two different clubs next month, but says finishing runners-up in the Premier League will be more important in the final analysis of Manchester United’s season.

Mourinho’s side hit back from conceding early at Wembley to beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 in the semifinal on Saturday and will claim a record-equalling 13th FA Cup triumph if they overcome Chelsea or Southampton in the final.

Victory next month would be a third trophy in two seasons for Mourinho’s United and the Portuguese would join Herbert Chapman (Huddersfield in 1922 and Arsenal in 1930) and Billy Walker (Sheffield Wednesday in 1935 and Nottingham Forest in 1959) in winning the knockout competition for two clubs.

Despite being a serial trophy-collector during his glittering career, Mourinho only has eyes on the seven points his team need to guarantee finishing as runners-up to an “untouchable” Manchester City in the Premier League.

“I think the feeling now is we need two victories and one draw to finish second with 81 points,” Mourinho, who won the FA Cup with Chelsea in 2007, told a news conference after Saturday’s deserved victory.

“The season is successful if we finish second, if we do a better Premier League season than Spurs, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal. If we do that I think it’s a successful season because 81 points is to break the 80-point target and to finish second against an untouchable winner is good.

“To make a lot more points than last season, to win more matches, to score more goals, to concede less goals, to have much better results against the top teams.”

“The [FA Cup] final is the final and obviously we have to try and win it but I don’t think it’s because of one game that the team is good or bad, a player is good or bad, a manager is good or bad or a season is good or bad.”

United won the League Cup and Europa League in Mourinho’s first season in charge but finished sixth in the Premier League.

They are favourites to finish second this time and the FA Cup would crown a season of improvement at Old Trafford.

“To do that with all the fantastic teams we play against will be an achievement for a club that couldn’t do it for a few years now,” Mourinho said.

For a while on Saturday it appeared Mourinho’s side might be swept away by Tottenham who scored in the 10th minute through Dele Alli and threatened to add to their lead.

But Alexis Sanchez levelled and they controlled the second half in which Ander Herrera scored the winner.

While Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino still awaits his first trophy in English football, Mourinho proved again that he remains a tactical master as he closed in on a 10th.

“They had a period when they were better than us after they scored and we lost a little bit of control in midfield but we had a good reaction,” Mourinho said.

“In the second half we had a good brain, good organisation, confident and calm and very much in control. We felt it would be very difficult to lose the game.”

Meanwhile, Mourinho once called Arsene Wenger a “specialist in failure” but on Friday, after the Arsenal manager announced he was stepping down at the end of the season, there was only respect.

Asked by reporters whether he regretted some of his behaviour towards the Frenchman over the years, the Manchester United boss suggested the question betrayed a lack of understanding.

“You are not a manager, you are not a player of course,” he said. “You do not know the way we respect each other, even when sometimes it looks like in some moments we don’t.”

“In the end, probably the ones that respect each other more are the ones that have the problems,” added the Portuguese.

“It is power against power, it is quality against quality, it is ambition against ambition.”

LONDON — When Arsene Wenger walked into Arsenal in 1996 he not only unlocked the door to the club’s trophy cabinet he also kicked down a barrier which had made the insular English game out of bounds for foreign coaches.

Every English top-flight title-winning team since 1889 had been put together by a British manager. When Wenger appeared talking of science diets, psychology and arty football, few took much notice.

Alex Ferguson’s all-powerful Manchester United side won the title that season and many doubted whether a sophisticated European coach, let alone a Frenchman with little playing pedigree, could master the hurly-burly of the English game.

In his first full season in charge in 1997/98, however, Wenger guided Arsenal to their second League and FA Cup double, blending the stoic British defence of Tony Adams, Nigel Winterburn, Lee Dixon and Steve Bould with the grace and pace of Dutch duo Dennis Bergkamp and Marc Overmars.

Fellow Frenchman Patrick Vieira, meanwhile, raised the bar for the modern box-to-box midfielder — a player whose silk and steel encapsulated Winger’s best Arsenal teams.

When he took over Arsenal, England’s top flight had 11 English managers, four Scots, one Northern Irishman, one Irishman and one Dutchman in Chelsea’s Ruud Gullit.

As this season draws to a close there are two Germans, three Spaniards, two Italians, two Portuguese, two Frenchmen, one Italian and an Argentine in charge of Premier League sides.

That transformation began in 1997/98 when Winger’s feat convinced clubs to look beyond the North Sea and even the FA decided to make Swede Sven-Goran Eriksson England’s first foreign national coach in 2001.

The landscape has changed so much since the first of Wenger’s three English titles that Ferguson is the only British manager to win the Premier League in the following 20 seasons.

Chelsea, who had hired Gullit before Winger’s arrival and then turned to Italian Gianluca Vialli, appointed Portugal’s Jose Mourinho in 2004 to spend Russian owner Roman Abramovich’s money and land consecutive league crowns.

Italians Carlo Ancelotti and Antonio Conte have won league titles for Chelsea since.

Manchester City’s new-found petrol wealth only bore fruit when Welshman Mark Hughes was fired in 2009 and replaced by Italian Roberto Mancini who memorably won the club’s first league title since 1968 in 2011/12.

Threatening domination

City also triumphed under Chilean Manuel Pellegrini in 2014 and will celebrate the title again under Spaniard Pep Guardiola under whom they are threatening domination.

Even English football’s greatest modern-day fairytale, Leicester City’s 2015/16 Premier League title, was masterminded by Italian Claudio Ranieri.

Manchester United attempted to retain the Ferguson blueprint by appointing Scot David Motes when he retired in 2013, but he lasted less than a season, since when Dutchman Louis van Gaal and now Mourinho have sat in the Old Trafford hot seat.

Liverpool were quick to follow Arsenal’s lead in 1998 when Frenchman Gerard Houllier, initially with Roy Evans, took charge for six years — the club’s first overseas manager.

Spain’s Rafael Benitez followed and won the Champions League in 2004/05 and now Germany’s Juergen Klopp is attempting to do the same having reached the semifinals.

Not every club, however, has found the foreign route so profitable.

While Wenger was trophy-gathering with Arsenal, a few miles away Tottenham Hotspur attempted to keep pace but failed miserably, most notably with Swiss Christian Gross and Frenchman Jacques Santini, neither of whom lasted a season.

Dutchman Martin Jol made a reasonable fist of things at White Hart Lane before being sacked while Juande Ramos won a League Cup in 2008 but did not last long.

Yet, even Tottenham, in the form of Argentine Mauricio Pochettino, are now thriving and their rise coincides with Arsenal’s steady decline under Wenger.

Pochettino is one of 11 non-British Premier League managers, yet there are signs of change and for that Wenger must take some credit as he prepares to depart.

The likes of Bournemouth’s Eddie Howe, Burnley’s Sean Dyche and Brighton and Hove Albino’s former Ireland international Chris Hughton would all no doubt point to Wenger’s influence as they impress among the big boys.

AMMAN — Qatar’s Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah will match another major milestone in the history of the FIA Middle East Rally Championship if he secures victory in next week’s 36th edition of the Jordan Rally, according to the Jordan Rally Media Service.

Former driver Mohammed Ben Sulayem is the current FIA vice president for sport in the Middle East and North Africa regions and has the record for the most number of MERC wins in Jordan — 12. Victory for the Qatari would enable him to equal the multiple former champion’s prestigious record.

Attiyah has won all but four of the events since claiming his first victory with British navigator Steve Lancaster in a Subaru Impreza WRC in 2003. Ben Sulayem won 12 times between 1984 and 2002 and that included two years when the rally did not run and two seasons when the Emirati was competing in the FIA Group N World Rally Championship.

Speaking during the Qatar Cross-Country Rally at Losail this week, Attiyah said: “People talk about records and, yes, it is nice to win rallies and break records. But it’s not about that. It’s about enjoying the rallies and making sure that we give a good performance. I guess if you look at other championships we have won many more rallies and, of course, I still want to win in Jordan. I like the stages and the rally very much.

“It is very important to keep this championship. We need to work to improve and keep it alive. Jordan is doing a very good job to keep the championship strong. Then we have Cyprus, Lebanon, Iran, Kuwait coming back and Qatar will be the final round.

“I am sure the championship will come back very strong. We have seen ups and downs in the past and we always got through those. It’s great to see Vojtech Štajf here in a Škoda. We worked together in Iran last year and encouraged him to come to the MERC. Ken Skidmore from my team helped him with the logistics side of things. He is a very quick driver and it should be interesting to see how he gets on in Jordan.

“The stages in Jordan are always demanding and we know that it is never easy here. Then we have the additional competition from the ERC cars in Cyprus and there is always a strong entry of R5s and fast drivers in Lebanon, so it’s looking very positive this year.”

The Jordan Rally gets under way with a timed super special stage of two kilometres on the shores of the Dead Sea on Thursday.

The 36th edition of the Jordan Rally is running with the support of Kroon Oil, VESTEL, Hilton Dead Sea Resort and Spa, the King Hussein Bin Talal Convention Centre managed by Hilton, Guarantee Travel Group, Hala and Bliss FM.

NEW YORK — Danica Patrick may soon no longer be a race car driver, but the only woman to win an IndyCar race remains as driven as ever as she speeds towards one last Indianapolis 500 and the end of a ground-breaking career.

Patrick will bring her career full circle on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s famed oval on May 27 when she climbs into the cockpit of her electric green GoDaddy liveried Chevrolet one last time as one of North America and the world’s most recognisable athletes takes a final bow.

“I’ve always said that I hope people remember me as a great driver and a woman. I hope it’s in that order,” Patrick told Reuters on Wednesday. “I hope it’s one of those stories where they are like she was awesome and a girl and it was cool to see something like that, something unique and different.

“I don’t want them to not remember that I was a girl.

“I’m here largely because I am woman, I just try to lead by example.

“It’s a tough subject because I think people expect, want me to be an advocate for women in a certain way but really I am just about people achieving their highest potential.”

While Patrick is routinely viewed as a pioneer and a standard bearer for women’s causes she sees herself as more of an inspirational figure than an advocate.

On the racetrack, however, Patrick is simply another racer.

She established herself as an elite driver and fierce competitor in IndyCar, blazing a path to the winner’s circle when she took the checkered flag at a race in Japan in 2008.

But it was the Indy 500 where the diminutive driver loomed large by taking third in 2009, the best result ever at the Brickyard for a woman driver.

Patrick was never able to match that result in NASCAR despite driving for Stewart-Haas Racing, one of the top teams.

She competed in almost 200 NASCAR races but never found Victory Lane, her best result being sixth at Atlanta in 2014.

Biggest success

Her biggest success in NASCAR came in 2013 when she grabbed the Daytona 500 pole.

“I didn’t have as good a results in NASCAR as I wanted,” Patrick said. “It’s more difficult in some ways just because I was fighting for a top 10 or the top 20 and IndyCar I was fighting for a top five or a win.

“I still fought really hard, they are still both difficult but as far as tangible results that people understand IndyCar went better so for that I loved it.”

Although Patrick will be getting out of the race car, she will not be slowing down.

One of the most marketable athletes in North America, she has been able to turn her fame and passions into businesses.

She is an author, has her own wine and clothing line, and a growing interest in yoga and fitness.

What Patrick is not interested in is starting her own race team like one of her fellow trailblazers Sarah Fisher, but she does plan on staying involved with her sport and did not completely rule out the possibility of getting back into the cockpit.

“I’m never going to say never,” Patrick said. “Long answer short I don’t see myself in any capacity staying and racing in a significant way.

“Always be supportive and watch and be curious but I don’t see myself owning a team or touring, it’s just not in my nature.

“I’d like to inspire people from the heart so that they were driven from the inside and help them generate confidence in themselves or by taking care of themselves,” Patrick added.

“One of the things that I’ve done my whole life and I get this from my dad, I’ve always just been a dreamer.”

Runaway La Liga leaders Barcelona held on to draw 2-2 at Celta Vigo on Tuesday with a much-changed side as they survived having Sergi Roberto sent off late in the second half to preserve their unbeaten league record this season.

Barca lead the standings on 83 points after 33 games, 12 ahead of second-placed Atletico Madrid, who visit Real Sociedad on Thursday, while Real Madrid, a further four points back in third, were scheduled to host Athletic Bilbao on Wednesday.

France forward Ousmane Dembele struck his first goal in the Spanish top flight to give Barca the lead against the run of play in the 36th minute but Celta got a deserved equaliser just before halftime when Jonny Castro struck from close range.

Paco Alcacer restored Barca’s lead in the 64th minute but Celta, who had beaten the Catalans 4-3 and 4-1 at home in the previous two seasons, continued to pour forward and caused the visitors’ inexperienced defence problems.

Substitute Roberto was given a straight red card in the 71st for halting a surging run from Iago Aspas and the Spain striker levelled in the 82nd minute, bundling the ball in with the help of his arm and scoring his 20th league goal this season.

With the King’s Cup final against Sevilla coming up on Saturday, Barca coach Ernesto Valverde made eight changes to the team that beat Valencia at the weekend, leaving out most of his regular starters including talisman Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Gerard Pique and captain Andres Iniesta.

The wholesale changes meant it was the first competitive game in 16 years in which Barca started without a player who had come through their academy and the lack of experienced personnel saw 24-year-old keeper Marc-Andre ter Stegen named as captain.

Celta dominated the final part of the game, despite Messi having come on earlier in the second half, but Barca clung on for the draw, staying on course to become the only team to finish a Liga season without losing.

“I wanted to make changes bearing in mind where we have come from and that we have a final coming up,” said Barca coach Valverde, who was blamed after the shock exit to AS Roma in the Champions League quarter-finals for not rotating his squad more.

“When you make many changes you are taking a lot of risks but tonight I thought it was the right moment to assume those risks,” he said.

The point means Barca can guarantee lifting the title if they win their next games at Deportivo La Coruna and Real Madrid but they could wrap up a 25th Liga crown before then if Atletico Madrid lose their next two against Real Sociedad and Real Betis.

“We don’t take this draw as a good thing as we always want to win but we have to accept what we have,” Valverde added.

“It was an end-to-end game but just as we were at our best we had the sending off and we had to reshape ourselves. It’s another point and now we need two more victories to become champions.”

Barca’s King’s Cup final opponents Sevilla, who are seventh, were held to a 0-0 draw at relegation-threatened Deportivo earlier on Tuesday, while sixth-placed Villarreal beat Leganes 2-1 as they battle for a Europa League qualifying spot.

LONDON — Max Verstappen’s father Jos has advised the Red Bull driver to think more carefully after his recent botched overtaking manoeuvres drew criticism and calls to calm down.

The 20-year-old Dutchman was handed a 10-second penalty in Sunday’s Chinese Grand Prix for colliding with Ferrari’s championship leader Sebastian Vettel, sending both cars spinning.

“That wasn’t possible,” former racer Jos told Dutch cable TV station Ziggo of the rash move. “It was an error of judgement. In some circumstances Max just has to think more.

“I don’t want him to change his driving style. He passed two people at the start. He did that perfectly. That’s what we all want to see.

“But we don’t want to see these kinds of actions. He needs to have it under control. He needs to think.”

Verstappen also lost ground when he tried and failed to pass Mercedes’ world champion Lewis Hamilton, with whom he had tangled in Bahrain a week earlier.

The Dutchman had to retire from the race after that incident.

Verstappen might have won in China had he been less impatient, with victory going instead to Australian teammate Daniel Ricciardo who pulled it off with a series of thrilling overtakes.

“He messed up, took out the world championship leader and his team mate won it in an incredible way,” commented 2016 world champion Nico Rosberg on Sky Sports television.

“This is going to be a tough lesson and maybe it’s those kind of days which are going to make a young driver like Max make that necessary progress.

“But he’s an incredible driver,” the German added. “He just needs to fine-tune and take a little bit of aggression out. It’s just too much.”

Niki Lauda, the retired triple world champion who is now non-executive chairman of Hamilton’s Mercedes team, said Verstappen had to change his approach.

When you compete in more races you should get more clever, especially when you want to win or challenge for the championship,” the Austrian said. “But he is going the other way. He needs to sort himself out. Nobody can help him.”

Verstappen held his hands up on Sunday and accepted blame, seeking out Vettel to apologise.

Team boss Christian Horner said the winner of three races, now in his fourth season, had made mistakes but that was only to be expected.

“I remember when we had Sebastian at a similar stage of his career, it wasn’t uncommon that he also made some mistakes,” the Briton said.

“I’m fully confident that he’s a phenomenal talent and he’s smart enough to recognise areas that he needs to work on. I have no doubt that he will address it.”

MANCHESTER, England — During Pep Guardiola’s first season in England there were plenty of pundits wondering if the Spaniard could translate his success in Spain and Germany to the more physical demands of the Premier League without diluting his football philosophy.

On Sunday, Guardiola’s Manchester City won the Premier League title with five games remaining, having built up a 16-point lead and scored 93 goals but the numbers tell only part of the story.

City may be different to his Barcelona and his Bayern Munich but the style with which they won the title was the proof that Guardiola could indeed do it his way in England.

His first season at City ended with the club finishing 15 points behind champions Chelsea and with a number of question marks over his team.

But his success in turning his team into the best in the country was not purely down to some astute moves in the transfer market, generously backed by the clubs Abu Dhabi owners.

Guardiola’s commitment to a style of play based not only on exceptional ball-retention but also a sophisticated understanding of space and timing took time to embed in the habits of the players.

An approach to the game which has a lineage back to the Dutch “total football” of the early 1970s, taken to Barcelona by Johann Cruyff and which Guardiola has adapted and evolved, requires not only a top skillset from the players but a change of mentality.

Guardiola believes that top-quality footballers can play anywhere on the field, whatever their formal role, and expects his defenders to be comfortable on the ball and his forwards to be able to work hard off it in order to be in the right places for an eventual transition.

This season, the Spaniard has gone beyond encouraging defenders to pass the ball out of defence rather than launch long balls by bringing his goalkeeper Ederson into the passing game, transforming City into an 11-man passing machine, playing with precision over the full length of the pitch.

One of his summer signings, Kyle Walker, was already a proven attacking wing-back when Guardiola brought him from Tottenham, but he now looks at home playing as a more central defender and in Guardiola’s clever approach of moving fullbacks into holding midfield roles when the team is in possession.

One of the Premier League managers who has had to take on Guardiola this season, Huddersfield Town’s German David Wagner, admires the way the City manager has convinced his players to change.

“As well as finding the players you also have to explain to them how to do it and they have to commit and follow. It isn’t as easy as it looks — it’s not just get the best players and then they do it. He has done something exceptional,” he told Reuters in an interview.

“In my point of view it’s more difficult to explain to attackers how to defend than to explain to defenders how to attack,” he said.

“Attackers are individuals and defensive players feel more part of a team. They feel more responsibility for everything and it’s easier to explain how to attack and how to play out from the back,” he added.

While few doubt Guardiola is capable of continuing his revolution at City, it is questionable whether his approach will have a broader influence on tactics and coaching across the Premier League.

Guardiola may have set a new standard but as Liverpool showed in their three victories this season, there are other successful modern approaches to the game and the “Pep way” may be for Pep only.

Wagner had a brief spell of trying the approach with Borussia Dortmund’s reserve team and cut short his experiment.

“We tried it and I think you can do it, you only have to accept that you will make more mistakes and you will get smashed more often if you have less quality [than him],” said the Huddersfield manager.

“It isn’t as easy as it looks. He has done something exceptional. It is great to see it. It is unbelievable to see how he influenced Man City in the Premier League like he did in Munich with Bayern.

“He has done it now a second time. It really is great to watch his team and his style,” he added.