Pep Guardiola wants to come back clear about Manchester City – it is hurting the workforce
Pep Guardiola faces a defining fortnight with Manchester City and now might be the best time for him to come clean and put everyone out of their misery
Pep Guardiola’s season is in danger of imploding at Manchester City(Image: Kevin Hodgson/MI News/NurPhoto via Getty Images)
It is starting to feel like the beginning of the end of Pep Guardiola’s time in English football – the moment all those associated with Manchester City have been dreading.
Because Guardiola will be irreplaceable. The Spaniard has spent nigh on a decade at the Etihad, and created the best team of its generation. He won a Treble, not to mention a historic four Premier League titles on the spin, as part of a magical haul of 18 trophies.
His legacy was secured a long while ago. And good luck to the poor bloke chosen to fill Guardiola’s shoes, when that time comes. Which could well be this summer.
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Perhaps Guardiola has already decided when he will leave City. Perhaps he hasn’t. The problem is, if he has, he hasn’t made it public.
But Guardiola is about to head into a fortnight which promises to define his entire season. One which could well be over, should results not go the way he wants.
City host Real Madrid in the Champions League on Tuesday night, needing to overturn a 3-0 deficit to keep their European dream alive.
City then head to Wembley to take on Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final, before meeting Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter finals.
It’s inconceivable to think City will lose to Arsenal and crash out of the other two cup competitions, leaving themselves nothing left to do but hope Arsenal do a Devon Loch in the title race.
But then again, it seemed unthinkable Guardiola would ever go a whole season without winning something. And this happened last time round.
Even the managerial greats are not immune from failure from time to time. But if City get to the start of April with a vacuum of nothingness ahead of them, wouldn’t this be the ideal time for Guardiola or the club to let it be known what his next move is going to be?
It would give supporters time to get their heads round it. It would allow Guardiola to get the long goodbye he deserves, should he decide this will be his final fling.
And it would provide clarity to the players, not least for those who might think there can be no life at City unless Guardiola is in charge.
There is also the sizeable distraction of the outcome of the 115 charges laid against City still hanging over the club. They deny any wrongdoing.
Neutrals should want Guardiola to continue. Because he will be missed greatly once he is gone.
But there is now a nagging feeling that all the uncertainty surrounding Guardiola, is the kind of distraction which is having a negative impact on his team’s campaign.
Guardiola will want to go down fighting. Go out on a high. Leave the building with one more big trophy added to the collection.
But it won’t be the league title this season, if recent evidence is anything to go by. Which might persuade him to hang around, who knows?
But we don’t know. And this is an issue Guardiola should choose to address sooner rather than later. To put everyone out of their misery.
