Man City bosses have six-word rule that has helped them beat rivals

There is an unofficial rule within the Manchester City hierarchy: never make decisions on a Monday.

The club haven't manoeuvred themselves into the position they are in by taking extra days off in the week, but the bosses do not want to be seen to make rash calls. A bad weekend deserves a few days to sink in before there are any serious consequences.

It's something that CEO Ferran Soriano advocates for any business, but especially the emotional investment in football where worlds can be conquered or ended over 90 minutes on a Saturday or a Sunday. However much Pep Guardiola may rail against it, ultimately football is an industry judged on results.

It was telling that the manager used his first opportunity after finally winning the Champions League with City - their Holy Grail - to thank the board for not sacking him. There have been some haunting exits in a competition and it was a chastening first year in English football for the world's best coach back in 2016, yet he has been backed fully by his employers every time.

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It is telling that City and Liverpool, the two best teams during Guardiola's time in England - have the two coaches that have been employed for the longest time, while this year's runners-up Arsenal put their faith in Mikel Arteta despite setbacks since he took over in December 2019. Chopping and changing can bring results in certain circumstances, but that has been less and less the case since Guardiola and Jurgen Klopp took over.

"We can lose games, significant games, and we say we can be very sad and angry for 24 hours but in hour 25 we have to come back and think about the next game," explained Soriano. How