Pep Guardiola has admitted he would likely have been dismissed had he endured Manchester City’s 2024/25 struggles while managing Spanish giants Barcelona or Real Madrid.
City finished third in the Premier League, 13 points behind champions Liverpool — their worst league finish since Guardiola’s debut season at the club. They also crashed out early in the Champions League and Carabao Cup, and suffered a shock FA Cup final loss to Crystal Palace.
Between late October and mid-December, City lost nine of 13 matches, sparking their most turbulent run in years. Despite the poor form, the club backed Guardiola and even handed him a contract extension in November.
Reflecting on the season in an interview with DAZN, the former Barcelona boss acknowledged that the patience shown by City’s hierarchy would have been unlikely in Spain.
“With the year we’ve had, if this were Spain, I wouldn’t be coaching in October, November or December,” Guardiola said. “If this were Barça or Madrid, they would have sacked me. But here it wasn’t even a question. You have to have a little more patience.”
He pointed to the recent exit of Carlo Ancelotti from Real Madrid, despite the Italian winning both La Liga and the Champions League, as an example of the high-pressure environment in Spain.
“Look at Carlo Ancelotti,” Guardiola said. “He won the Champions League and LaLiga four days ago and now he’s off to coach in Brazil.”
Real Madrid have since appointed former Bayer Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso to replace Ancelotti, following what was seen as a disappointing defence of their titles last season.
Meanwhile, Manchester City have already begun revamping their squad for the new campaign with the additions of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Aït-Nouri, and French winger Rayan Cherki. Both City and Madrid will feature in the new Club World Cup, which kicks off on Saturday.
