Pep Guardiola has expressed hope that Manchester City will bounce back next season and erase the disappointment of this one.
Wherever he’s gone in his coaching career, Guardiola has delivered success. The Spanish manager’s trophy cabinet is packed with silverware, built over years of consistent excellence. But this season with Manchester City has been a tough one — something Guardiola himself now openly admits.
Since taking over in 2016, Guardiola has overseen a remarkable rise at City. Under his leadership, the club has won six Premier League titles and a historic first UEFA Champions League crown, among many other trophies.
In the past four years, City seemed almost unstoppable — winning the Premier League four times in a row and lifting the Champions League in 2023. But this season, the team has struggled to live up to that standard.
They were knocked out of the League Cup early, fell out of the Premier League title race well before the final weeks, and endured a painful Champions League exit in the Round of 16 after a difficult campaign.
Recently, however, City has shown signs of finding their rhythm again. There’s still a chance to end the season with silverware and secure a top-five league finish, which would guarantee a Champions League spot next season.
Despite that, Guardiola admits this has been the most challenging season of his 17-year managerial career — which has also included successful spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
“Without a doubt, this is the toughest season of my career. We’ve suffered a lot throughout the season. When you don’t win, everything becomes mentally tougher — preparing to fight, to compete, everything.”
“This time has been much more difficult than before. Even compared to the seasons when we were competing for titles, this one has felt much harder.”
City currently sit third in the Premier League table with 64 points from 35 matches. Their next league game is away to Southampton on Saturday. A week later, they’ll face Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final.
Guardiola is under contract at City until 2027. He has already won 12 league titles across three countries and lifted the Champions League trophy three times, along with many other honors. But his hunger for success remains as strong as ever — something he made crystal clear in his closing remarks.
“We always have to prove ourselves.”
“When I hear players say, ‘We’ve done everything in our careers, there’s nothing left to prove,’ that’s completely wrong. They should just retire.”
