Pep Guardiola follows Marcelo Bielsa path at Man City to show up Frank Lampard and Jurgen Klopp

Outside of the great Johan Cruyff, there has arguably been no greater influence upon Pep Guardiola’s generation-defining coaching career than Marcelo Bielsa.

It was no surprise, therefore, that a warm tribute to the recently unseated Leeds United boss was first on the agenda for Guardiola at his Monday press conference to preview Manchester City’s FA Cup fifth-round trip to Peterborough United.

“I’m so sorry for him. His legacy is there, in the Leeds city and club, and I'm pretty sure with the players,“ Guardiola said.

“His influence is massive. Unfortunately, all managers are subject to results and maybe they were not good but the games played in three or four seasons at Leeds were spectacular to watch and I wish him all the best in future.”

Guardiola’s common ground with Bielsa primarily relates to their footballing vision.

Pep operates with a diluted and more refined version of Bielsa’s extreme and revolutionary high-pressing, hard running template - a tactical vision that has elevated Leeds far higher than the sum of the parts at his disposal at Elland Road, while also being an element in the implosion of recent weeks.

But the veteran Argentine is also a rare breed in the modern game insofar as he never seeks excuses behind the cover of refereeing errors, an area where whataboutery generally abounds.

It was refreshing therefore to hear Guardiola - perhaps inspired by just speaking about Bielsa - concede that City got away with one in the 1-0 win over Everton, where Rodri was not punished for what appeared to be an incredibly blatant handball during the dying minutes.

“The pass of Dele Alli looks offside but if Richarlison is not offside, it’s a penalty,” he said after a cacophony of post-match complaints broke