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The Manchester City Decline Continues. Four straight defeats in the Premier League leaves Pep Guardiola with his worst run of form since his senior managerial debut seventeen years ago. But what’s worse is that the Sunday defeat to Liverpool leaves the Cityzens with more work to do if they must finish top four and qualify for Europe’s elite football competition next season. City are currently sitting fifth on the Premier League log, 11 points adrift of the league leaders. They’re even trailing arsenal, who are just recovering from their own sticky run of four EPL games without a win.
Guardiola’s Stance
There has been lots of speculation surrounding Pep’s future at the Etihad, particularly after his comment in the summer: “The reality is I’m closer to leaving than staying.” However, his recent contract extension seemed to shut talks down, at least until his recent streak of interviews triggered by his run of form.
Pep, in one of his interviews has hinted that he will have to leave if he can’t turn the ship around. “I wouldn’t want to continue in a place if I feel like I’m the problem. I don’t want to remain here just because there’s a contract I must see through.
“My chairman knows my stance on things. I told him to give me the chance to redeem things, especially when everybody comes back. We’ll see how it goes. If I’m still unable to change things, I’ll have to let someone else, because it’ll mean the last nine years are dead.
Of course, it won’t be an easy ride for me, but I know I still have a job to do, and I’m confident I can do it.”
As can be seen from his recent pressers, Guardiola is desperate for his side to turn things around. He and his team will host Nottingham Forest, one of the surprise teams this season, on Wednesday. It remains to be seen whether City continues its downward slope or whether Etihad will be the birthplace of a resurgence under the lights.
Why Carry On?
If I were Guardiola, I’d not let this run of form affect my mentality. I’d gladly stick around and continue to work towards cementing my legacy as one of the league’s greatest. But as a football fan, I’d love to see how he performs outside his comfort zone. Going into international coaching would be intriguing. But we’d also love to see how he can navigate the challenges of managing a lower-league side. Either way, an exit seems closer than a lot of people may be predicting. But we’ll be waiting to see more of how the drama unfolds.
