Pep Guardiola has stated that, had he faced the challenges of the current season at Manchester City, he would have been fired by Barcelona or Real Madrid. Manchester City, under Guardiola’s direction, experienced its most difficult campaign since his arrival in 2024-25. The Premier League champions, who had won the title four times in a row, finished third in the table, 13 points behind Liverpool. Furthermore, the team was eliminated early from the Champions League and the Carabao Cup, and suffered an unexpected defeat in the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace. The most complicated period for City was between the end of October and mid-December, with nine defeats in 13 matches. Despite this, the club maintained its confidence in Guardiola and even offered him a new contract in November.
With the year we’ve had, if this were Spain, I wouldn’t be training in October, November, or December. If this were Barça or Madrid, I would have been fired.
Pep Guardiola
