Pep Guardiola's two greatest masterpieces: Barcelona 2011 vs Man City 2023 Combined XI

The Catalan was one of the first modern ball-playing goalkeepers, and although he dropped the odd clanger when playing out from the back, Guardiola always stood by his side. He was a better all-round goalkeeper than Ederson, but his career never really recovered after a knee injury in 2014.

The Brazilian was Guardiola's first signing and revolutionised the role of right-back, playing more like an attacking midfielder than a defender. He struck up a telepathic understanding with Lionel Messi and Xavi Hernandez, frequently receiving a pass from the midfielder out wide and crossing for the Argentine to score.

The Portuguese is the leader of City's defence and so hard to beat one-v-one or in the air. His biggest assets are his physical prowess and intelligence, but he is also skilled on the ball, a prerequisite for any player who wants to play for Guardiola.

He gets into the combined XI over Javier Mascherano due to his traditional defensive qualities, and over Carles Puyol, whose career was coming to an end due to injuries by 2011.

Pique was one of the best players of his era at playing out from the back, an ability that he honed when he played as a forward in his youth. He worked up an unlikely winning partnership with Puyol, his polar opposite, and then with Mascherano when Puyol's injury problems piled up.

He did not always see eye to eye with Guardiola, but went on to thrive long after the coach left, spending more than 13 years with Barcelona before ending his contract last November, renouncing €30 million he was owed.

The former Bournemouth defender has discovered his best position in his third season at City as an inverted left-back. With Guardiola's team revolving most of their attacking game plan around getting the ball to Erling Haaland, the coach has needed his defenders to focus solely on defending.

Ake has excelled in the role and Guardiola has raved about his performances this season. In a team this attacking, the Dutchman's defensive security would sure come in handy.

The now-Barca coach was the puppet master of Guardiola's great side and an insatiable passer. He dictated the team's play and was Guardiola's eyes and ears on the pitch, his de-facto captain due to Puyol's injury problems.

Xavi outstayed Guardiola by three years and then followed him into management, also winning the La Liga title in his first full season in charge of the Catalans.

Busquets is an unusual midfielder, a player not known for being particularly strong or quick. But he made up for those deficiencies by being smarter than anyone else, anticipating every move.

He has a remarkable knack for snuffing out an opposition attack and starting a dangerous move for his own side with just one touch. Barcelona will sure miss him now he has left the club, and there is no doubting that he will be remembered as one of the club's greatest ever holding midfielders, alongside Guardiola.

The magician who knitted Barca's play together. Iniesta played with a poise and artistry that has rarely been seen. He formed a world-beating duo with Xavi, with Ferguson remarking that the pair "have never given the ball away in their lives".

And he was fiercely loyal to Guardiola, offering the coach support after he had failed to win his first two games.

The Argentine became the best player in the world under Guardiola, who unleashed him in the 'false nine' role. The 2010-11 season was one of his best ever, scoring 52 goals in all competitions.

Messi's incredible solo goal against Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-final first leg at Santiago Bernabeu is the best remembered, while he also struck in the final against United to restore Barca's lead.

Guardiola had spent a chunk of his coaching career without a traditional centre forward, but having Haaland at his disposal has made City even more formidable. It is not just his 52 goals in 52 games, either.

The Norwegian's presence in the box allows City to hit crosses into him, which discourages opponents from sitting deep, while his explosive pace also stops teams from playing with a high line.

De Bruyne has been Guardiola's most consistent and most mesmeric player at City, and arguably only trails Messi as the best player the Catalan has ever worked with.

The Belgian has a telepathic understanding with Haaland, which means he has to be in the team, but he also gets in on his own merits. He is an assist machine, and both a great goalscorer and a scorer of great goals.