Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that if he faced the same challenges at Barcelona or Real Madrid as he did this season in England, he would have been sacked before the campaign ended.
City endured a disappointing 2024/25 season, finishing third in the Premier League, 13 points behind champions Liverpool which marks their poorest league performance since Guardiola’s debut season. The club also crashed out early in both the Champions League and Carabao Cup and suffered a surprise defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final. A particularly difficult spell between late October and mid-December saw City lose nine of 13 matches.
Despite the set back, the Manchester club maintained its faith in Guardiola, even handing him a contract extension in November.
“If this had been in Spain, I wouldn’t have made it to October, November, or December,” Guardiola told DAZN. “At Barcelona or Real Madrid, they would have dismissed me. But here [at City], it wasn’t even a discussion. There’s more patience.”
He also referenced Real Madrid’s treatment of Carlo Ancelotti, who recently left the club despite winning both the Champions League and LaLiga. “Look at Ancelotti, he won everything just days ago and now he’s off to manage Brazil,” Guardiola remarked.
Real Madrid have since appointed former player Xabi Alonso as their new head coach following what many saw as an underwhelming defense of their titles.
Looking ahead, Manchester City have started rebuilding for next season, having secured the signings of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Aït-Nouri, and France international Rayan Cherki. Both City and Madrid are set to compete in the Club World Cup, which kicks off this Saturday.
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