Pep Guardiola is truly great, like a father figure to Man City and European football. Photo: AFP Pep Guardiola has undoubtedly become a legendary figure in the history of Manchester City, not only leading the team to dominate the Premier League. The recent treble is enough to place both Man City and Pep at the top among any football club worldwide in terms of achievements, not to mention the comparison with Manchester United.
With 23 trophies with Man City, Pep will have a remarkable legacy. Such success is only reserved for those who are as ambitious as the owners of The Citizens. Even after winning everything, the image of Pep shows that his focus is not on leisure activities like vacations or golf, but rather on training, competition, and relentless pursuit of excellence.
After achieving greatness in Istanbul, Pep stated that Man City would start from scratch in the 2023-2024 season. He and his players aim to win the Champions League again, not content with what they have achieved in the 2022-2023 season.
Pep Guardiola currently manages a great and exceptional team. Photo: AFP Ten years ago, owner Sheikh Mansour did not even dream of having such a successful team at Manchester City. Fortunately, that coincided with the time when The Citizens secured the treble. After that achievement, Mansour invited Pep Guardiola, Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak, CEO Ferran Soriano, and Director of Football Txiki Begiristain to Abu Dhabi (UAE) to celebrate their great success. In the meeting, Mansour spoke about the treble as a significant achievement of the set strategy. He also emphasized that Man City should maintain their position at the top among the elite football clubs.
Similar to 2009, Pep Guardiola is once again facing a glorious challenge as he aims to win the UEFA Super Cup, Community Shield, and potentially the FIFA Club World Cup. Pep’s contract will last until 2025. At least for the next two seasons, the great strategist will remain committed to the team at Etihad. There is no reason to suspect Pep’s departure. He has expressed that he does not plan to leave before fulfilling his contract.
In November 2022, Pep extended his contract until 2025. The next three years will also be the final period for key players in the current squad of The Citizens, such as Kevin De Bruyne, Riyad Mahrez, Aymeric Laporte, Nathan Ake, and Bernardo Silva. These senior players will also surpass the age of 30, especially De Bruyne, who will be 34. If they stay, they may not maintain their peak performance as they did before.
Pep is capable of building a strong team for Man City similar to what he did with Barcelona in 2009. Once reaching such heights, Pep typically stays for another three years, wins another Champions League in 2011, and then seeks new challenges. Now, the national team is an intriguing challenge as Pep has never thought of winning the World Cup or EURO.
Man City will bid farewell to many influential figures when Pep Guardiola’s tenure comes to an end. Photo: AFP If there is one mission or, in other words, Pep’s unfinished business with Man City, it is to leave behind a team that can carry on their success after his departure from Etihad. Previously, Sir Alex Ferguson won the Premier League with a Manchester United team that seemed unlikely to compete at the highest level. After Fergie left, no manager was able to revive the “Red Devils” for a long time.
The team left by Pep at Man City must continue to win major titles, even if it may not be as easy as it was in recent years, when fans thought they would dominate for the next
