Why Pep’s Manchester City could push past Barcelona as the Harlem Globetrotters of football

How do you compete with the Harlem Globetrotters of football?

That was the conundrum faced by Pep Guardiola ahead of Manchester City's outstanding 3-1 victory over Barcelona at the Etihad Stadium.

It was a result that the Spanish manager hailed as a significant step forward in their bid to rub shoulders with the very best. It also inspired a rephrasing of the question; how do you become the new Harlem Globetrotters of football?

It seems a pertinent follow-up as that is the ultimate goal in owner, Sheikh Mansour's vision for Manchester City.

Pep Guardiola knows his Etihad era will be defined by it. The Spaniard has been tasked with developing a way to not only beat Europe's finest, but become the best over a sustained period of time.

This victory was a start, a blueprint, and perhaps even an exciting peek into the future - but Guardiola won't be getting too carried away by this one-off result just yet.

On the eve of this clash in Manchester, the City coach described it as "a cup final" for his players, suggesting he was content to concede that there was a clear distinction in class between the sides. His team responded with a high-octane display that saw them run out worthy victors.

It may have been clever psychology, but he also knows one swallow doesn't make a summer. The fact City were heavy underdogs having lost all five of their previous clashes with the Blaugrana is perhaps indicative of the two teams' respective standings in world football at present.

City needed a massive performance to stop the Barca juggernaut led by the irrepressible MSN in attack. They got it by virtue of a "cup shock" of sorts, and it was certainly a much more important match for Guardiola and co than it was for Luis Enrique's men in the context of the Group C standings.

The bigger picture, of course, is that only Real Madrid and Bayern Munich sit alongside Barcelona in terms of the continent's current power rankings. In each of the last eight seasons one of those three teams have at the very least competed in the final with only Inter Milan and Chelsea denying one of the trio victory.

Guardiola has been tasked with ending this Trio-poly. City have beaten the likes of Bayern in the past, and now they have ended their Barca hoodoo, but how do they join the party as an equal player on a regular basis?

Each of the aforementioned three clubs boast a clutch of the world's very best players and it has shown in their endeavours in the Champions League over the past decade. The three teams start each new season as one of the favourites to be crowned kings of Europe and are there or thereabouts when it comes to the last four and the final.

City, on the other hand, have remained "dark horses' or underachievers in terms of challenging for Europe's greatest prize. It stands to reason that they will not reach the level of Barcelona, Real Madrid and Bayern Munich consistently without signing genuine world-class talent that stem from the very best of the footballing gene pool.

They have spent a huge amount of money since 2008 but very few of the signings come under the superstar bracket. They are making strides, but it takes time.

Guardiola even addressed that "process" in his packed post-match press conference. "For new players coming (to the club) in the future, they think these guys are able to beat the best team. Now we have to do it again.... It's not like you say, now we are going to create the best team in Europe (after one result). You need 10 years, 15 years, 20 years to do that - and stay there. We are going to try to reduce that time and leave the supporters with more nights like this."

City are at crucial point in that "process". They have not quite established themselves as the upcoming European powerhouse many expected. Their status is similar to that of Paris Saint Germain – money without that rare, A-list status which involves star names, a lauded style of play and a long tradition of winning.

Luring Guardiola to the Etihad was obviously a major step towards that goal. Over time he will improve the players City already have but also brings a prestige to the table to compete for any signature. It's fair to say that the elite names were unlikely to choose City ahead of the more traditional super clubs pre-Pep, particularly for truly world-class gladiators of the game, but going forward they may well find the Etihad a more enticing prospect.

High profile players across the continent will have had their interest further piqued by what Guardiola is building at City. And it could yet see him pinch some of those leading names from the top teams in the transfer windows ahead too.

Bayern Munich have monopolised the Bundesliga by signing their rivals' best players, notably after a period where Borussia Dortmund caught the imagination of the whole of Europe under Jurgen Klopp.

Such a policy has also spread between leagues and kept these super powers at the very top.

There was a period in the mid to late noughties when English sides were dominating the Champions League, but that slowly faded away as Real Madrid and Barcelona picked off the cream of the Premier League's talent, with Ronaldo, Xabi Alonso, Gareth Bale and Luis Suarez the most obvious examples.

City could finally be in a position to reverse that pattern. They now have the "super coach" to attract the big names that his predecessors failed to convince. If he strengthens his own squad while diminishing his rivals, City could yet shave some time off their bid to dominate the continent as Guardiola hinted.

The formula for success is taking shape. The answer could soon present itself via a blend of the Pep philosophy, his stature in the game and City's bottomless pit of cash. It seems almost too simplistic on paper but all of those factors do not come together overnight.

At the moment Pep's present is not yet the equal of his past, despite the emphatic win over his former club. The City boss knows there is still important work to do if they are to compete on a level playing field on a regular basis and upstage the planet's finest teams when trophies are at stake.

This group stage win looks like being a significant milestone in terms of belief within the club but there is still some way for Guardiola to go if he is to complete that definitive slam dunk and usurp Barcelona as the new Globetrotters of football in the not too distant future.