Manager says the club were patient and his tenure would have ended if he were at Barcelona or Real Madrid
Pep Guardiola has admitted that he likely would have been sacked had he endured Manchester City’s 2024-25 struggles at clubs like Barcelona or Real Madrid.
Speaking to DAZN, the City boss reflected on a turbulent season in which his side failed to defend their title, finishing third and 13 points behind winners Liverpool. City also exited the Champions League and EFL Cup early and were stunned by Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final.
“In Spain, with the year we’ve had, I wouldn’t be coaching by October, November or December,” said Guardiola. “If this were Barcelona or Madrid, they would have sacked me. But here, it wasn’t even a question. They give you a little more patience.”
The pressure peaked between late October and mid-December, when City lost nine out of 13 matches in all competitions. However, the club stood by Guardiola and even extended his contract in November to show their long-term commitment.
Guardiola pointed to Carlo Ancelotti’s situation at Real Madrid as evidence of the high expectations in La Liga’s two top clubs.
“Look at Ancelotti,” said Guardiola. “He won the Champions League and La Liga four days ago and now he’s off to coach in Brazil.”
Guardiola said he needed self-belief, as he always has in his career, to get through the tough moments: “I’ve never thought that I wasn’t good enough for the job. You have to tell yourself many times that it’s fine. And then it’s been a lot of thinking: what can I do to turn it around?”
