Pep Guardiola has admitted he likely wouldn’t have survived the season at Barcelona or Real Madrid had he endured the kind of year he just experienced.
Speaking to DAZN, the City manager offered a candid reflection on a turbulent 2024–25 campaign, one that saw the reigning champions relinquish their Premier League crown and fall short in all cup competitions.
“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 Barca or Madrid, they would have sacked me. But here, it wasn’t even a question. You have to have a little more patience.”
City finished third in the Premier League-13 points adrift of champions Liverpool – marking their worst domestic finish since Guardiola’s first season in charge back in 2016–17. Their title defense unravelled during a dismal stretch between late October and mid-December, when they lost nine of 13 matches across all competitions.
The club’s European ambitions also ended prematurely with an early Champions League exit, and City suffered a shock defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final. They were also eliminated from the Carabao Cup in the early rounds.
Despite the setbacks, City stood by Guardiola and even handed him a new contract in November-a decision that stands in stark contrast to what the 53-year-old believes would have happened at either of Spain’s biggest clubs.
Guardiola pointed to Carlo Ancelotti’s recent departure from Real Madrid as a prime example of the demanding nature of management in LaLiga. “Look at Carlo Ancelotti,” he 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 as Ancelotti’s successor following what the club viewed as an underwhelming defense of their titles.
Despite the disappointment, Manchester City have already moved quickly to support Guardiola’s rebuild, securing the signings of Rayan Ait-Nouri from Wolves, Lyon’s Rayan Cherki, and Dutch midfielder Tijjani Reijnders from AC Milan.
Both City and Real Madrid will be in action at the expanded Club World Cup, which kicks off this Saturday in the United States – a chance for both sides to reset and chase silverware on a global stage.
For Guardiola, the upcoming campaign may represent both a chance for redemption and a reminder of the value of long-term backing – something he suggests is far more common in Manchester than Madrid or Barcelona.
