There is a story told by a former Manchester City backroom staff member, who saw first hand the methods and magic of Pep Guardiola.
City had started the season unbeaten but Guardiola was unhappy that training sessions were not being played with the utmost intensity. Guardiola had also taken a dim view of his players barely celebrating a goal during a Premier League match a few days earlier. His message to the players went like this: “If I’m here, if we are going to work together, you play at 100 per cent in every session, like training for a World Cup final.”
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Players went full tilt for the rest of the session. Message received.
It is just a small window into the impact of City’s great coach and leads onto the hypothetical question of where the club would be without him. That hypothetical will one day become a reality, with Guardiola consistently ruling out following the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson or Arsène Wenger, who had 27 and 22 years at Manchester United and Arsenal respectively.
Guardiola has 18 months left on his contract at the Etihad Stadium and at what stage he decides to call it a day is the question that rages. At the end of the season it will be a neat 10 years since he joined City. He has been asked directly about his future and says repeatedly that he wants to stay for a “long time”, although it often comes with the caveat that “at the end of the season, we’ll see”.
With his Friday afternoon briefings broadcast live around the world, everybody from players to football agents and fans have heard questions asked about Guardiola’s future. It hangs over City more heavily than the 130 Premier League charges they have faced over the last three years. The dressing room is well aware of the reports of City advancing contingency plans in the event of Guardiola going at the end of the season.
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That uncertainty has been the backdrop to a mini-slump at the start of 2026, which City need to address before it develops into the full-blown crisis of last season. It is difficult to quantify the impact of managerial uncertainty on players, but naive to think they have not seen and heard all the coverage. Whether consciously or subconsciously, these scenarios often affect the players’ mentality.
City are experiencing another slump at the start of the year – Reuters/Fredrik Varfjell
Around the Etihad Campus, City’s state-of-the-art headquarters next to their stadium, Guardiola is said to have shown little change in how he interacts with his squad on training and recovery days. He spends time by himself in his private office, although over the course of his time at the club it is usual for him to retreat there, deliberating his next moves and problem-solving.
The fixture against the Premier League’s bottom club, Wolves, feels like a big Saturday afternoon for City. It will probably define where they are this season, a campaign where they have looked like title contenders at some stages and very ordinary at others.
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Defeat by Norwegian minnows Bodo/Glimt in the Champions League on Tuesday was part of a strange week at the club that started with the chastening 2-0 Manchester derby loss at Old Trafford last Saturday. Then travelling into the Arctic Circle and being humiliated in a small fishing port was “embarrassing”, as striker Erling Haaland put it. While they are fighting on four fronts, the body language was not good in those two defeats. As a team they looked disconnected, even if injuries have been a mitigating factor.
After the derby defeat, television presenter Richard Keys then stated on Qatari broadcaster beIN Sports that Guardiola could be days from walking out on City. “Do not rule out him leaving this week. If this happens, remember where you heard it first,” he said.
City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak was at the World Economic Forum in Davos, representing the United Arab Emirates, and found himself quizzed by a senior BBC reporter about Guardiola’s future as he left the summit. As if being pictured next to Donald Trump was not peculiar enough for an executive of a Premier League club.
Manchester City chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak with Donald Trump at the World Economic Forum in Davos – Bloomberg/Krisztian Bocsi
“Mr Mubarak, is Pep Guardiola going to still be in a job?” asked BBC economics editor Faisal Islam. “He’s started losing. United beat you 2-0.” Khaldoon gave a thumbs-up, looking slightly ambushed by the line of questioning.
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Before the BBC man, the only person to ever suggest Guardiola could be sacked was Guardiola himself. He believes last season’s winter results would have led to his dismissal at most other clubs.
Had it not been for a mid-season splurge in the January window a year ago, Guardiola is adamant City would be playing in the Europa Conference League in this campaign.
Last season also showed the effect football had on Guardiola himself, scratching his head to the point of bleeding when his team drew against Feyenoord.
The signs of stress were clear to see on Guardiola after City surrendered a 3-0 lead against Feyenoord last season
While a sacking has never been on the agenda, City have been here before when it comes to Guardiola and questions over his future. In 2022, he was in the final year of his contract before committing himself to the club. In 2020, he got within seven months of his deal running out.
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When he signed his last contract, 14 months ago, he revealed that he had had a change of heart about walking away. He had resolved that the 2024-25 season would be his last, after mulling over his future following the 2-1 FA Cup final defeat by Manchester United. Part of the decision to stay was to drag the club out of their winter slump and guide them back towards the top of the Premier League.
It is why Guardiola regards 2025 as one of his finest years at City, even though they went through the calendar year without winning a trophy, something they had not done since 2017. Where would this season rank if it ended with a seventh Premier League title?
Having the best manager in the world overseeing a winning machine has been particularly helpful to City as it has encouraged players to want to sign for them despite the 130 charges hanging over the club. This January’s acquisitions of Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guéhi have continued that trend.
Landing two of the Premier League’s brightest stars during a period of uncertainty is reflective of what Guardiola has built and how much players want to play for him. Down the years, it often feels like they are signing for the manager as much as the club. Inevitably, if the discussions about his future continue to intensify then the manager will have an added job on his hands ensuring players retain focus.
Guardiola’s presence at City continues to help attract and retain top players – Getty Images/Carl Recine
Guardiola has previously been asked about the legacy that he might be leaving for the next manager, with the emphatic answer that a succession plan is not on his agenda. But the last couple of years have been a rebuilding job like no other, with the treble winners almost fully dismantled now.
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Only Haaland and Rúben Dias remain from the core of that team. Kevin De Bruyne, Jack Grealish, Ederson, Ilkay Gundogan, Julian Alvarez and Riyad Mahrez are gone. Added to that are John Stones’s injuries and Nathan Aké struggling to play matches in quick succession. The signings over the last two seasons are the foundations for City over the next years.
It is a new regime behind the scenes, with Hugo Viana in place as director of football after replacing Txiki Begiristain. While assistant managers came and went (or became No 1s elsewhere), Begiristain was a constant until last summer, a working partnership that made City that winning machine. The new players are also now in, with everyone waiting for the definitive answer of how long Guardiola will be with them.