Dynasty has been a word knocking around for much of this season at . Not by the players, or indeed their manager, but it is a lingering idea nevertheless.
Clearly it was not too far from Vincent Kompany's thoughts in the immediate aftermath of Sunday's title victory. Before he went out buying pints for locals in south Manchester, the City captain addressed the wider implications of 's first league crown without much prompting.
'It's not a dynasty,' he said. 'It's just one title. We're super happy but there's still so much work to be done before this squad's full potential is unlocked.'
That is how Guardiola believes his players must react to successes. Kompany spoke of wanting to see the mentality of this squad, to see if they are able of being the first team to defend a title since Manchester United in 2009. They now need to press home their obvious dominance.
It is how Guardiola's reign will be viewed in the long term. This season has been so mesmeric for so many reasons but the foundations laid are for the heaviest trophy cabinet, not just this.
City truly believe they have a man to rule English football for as long as he wants to be here. We will see quite how revered he is in the corridors of power over the coming days and weeks as they gear up to visibly honour the Catalan's stylish football.