Meet Juanma Lillo - the 'dream' appointment Pep Guardiola had been seeking

This might seem a bit silly given Manchester City’s gargantuan backroom contingent but Pep Guardiola felt his inner circle was simply too small this time last year.

Mikel Arteta had left earlier in the season. City knew he was destined to depart for a managerial job at some stage, yet to lose him in the December presented somewhat of a problem.

Arteta had been an exemplary assistant manager. City were more than a touch miffed by the way in which Arsenal approached him, convoying their way up to Arteta’s home in Didsbury to hold lengthy overnight talks, hours after the two sides had faced each other at the Emirates Stadium.

But Guardiola could not stand in his way.

The City manager knew replacing his trusty lieutenant would be one of the biggest signings of his tenure. The club did not rush before settling on Juanma Lillo, who had guided Qingdao Huanghai to the Chinese Super League. He was back home in Madrid when City came calling.

The players did not know who Lillo was on arrival. He had coached on four continents with very few triumphs and had not mastered English.

Existing relationships were in his favour, though, notably with Guardiola who had been mesmerised by Lillo’s Real Oviedo when they played Barcelona in 1996.

Guardiola asked to see the manager afterwards, their friendship cemented that evening as they chatted for hours. Guardiola later went to Mexico to play for Dorados Sinaloa under Lillo — six months of mentoring in the art of coaching and preparation.

The pair remained close. Lillo travelled the world for various jobs, Guardiola was all consumed by Barca, Bayern Munich and now City.

Crucially, Lillo also knew sporting director Txiki Begiristain and two prominent City coaches, Xabi Mancisidor and Lorenzo Buenaventura.

For the purposes of Guardiola’s inner circle, he was a perfect fit.

He offered alternative tactical thinking for Guardiola to bounce off and the new man, an experienced figure with four decades of coaching on his CV, has certainly had a big impact.

He noticed issues during Project Restart, which ended in the catastrophe of Lisbon — the infamous defeat against Lyon and the surprising three-man defence — but truly came into his own towards Christmas. Lillo has his disagreements with Guardiola but the offices at the City Football Academy are calmer for the 55 year old’s presence.

In that sense, there are key differences to Arteta who, while an excellent communicator and strong sounding board for the manager, does possess a similar temperament to Guardiola behind the scenes.

This more impulsive nature was put down to Arteta’s age and a desire to progress quickly. The older Lillo is described as tranquil and more patient.

‘He is the voice to calm Pep,’ said one source. ‘A perfect, deep voice behind Pep, you know? The other side of Pep.’

No-one on Guardiola’s staff has ever suggested as much, but perhaps this is why City reverted to the basics in December when the chips were down and performances stagnant.

In previous seasons, that run of poor results may have prompted a radical shift in tactics but when City were at their lowest ebb, Lillo promised Guardiola that the season would turn and rivals were bound to lose games.

They did, City won all of theirs and now they could end the campaign with an historic treble.

Tactically, Lillo is renowned for embracing a 4-2-3-1 formation years before it was en vogue and an obsession with positional play based on probability. In essence, making sure attackers are ahead of the ball in unexpected spaces. That philosophy sounds familiar.

He might be deep thinker away from the pitch, but he is a bundle of energy on it and his influence on the players, particularly the Latin speakers, is growing.

Joao Cancelo has benefited, learning how best to rove from full back, while Lillo can often be seen cajoling the team before matches. But it is when counselling the manager that his true brilliance shines. This is the role he appears best suited to, aiding the club figurehead.

While some former players have spoken glowingly of his abilities — in much the same way as Marcelo Bielsa’s do — it is as an assistant that Lillo seems at home.

Jorge Sampaoli, for example, charts a failure to push the Argentinian FA hard enough to appoint Lillo as No 2 as his biggest mistake before their ill-fated 2018 World Cup.

‘Juanma’s knowledge of the game is overwhelming,’ said Guardiola. ‘He sees some things few people in the world, me included, are able to see. He is a friend of mine from a long time ago, finally we can work together. It was a dream and is now a dream come true.’