Dec 02,2024
Pep Guardiola has pledged to step aside if he fails to turn around Manchester City's poor run of form.
The City boss is enduring the worst run of his glittering managerial career after a six-game winless streak featuring five successive defeats and a calamitous 3-3 draw in a match his side had led 3-0.
The 53-year-old, who has won 18 trophies since taking charge at the Etihad Stadium in 2016, signed a contract extension through to the summer of 2027 just over a week ago.
Yet, despite his remarkable successes, he still considers himself vulnerable to the sack and has pleaded with the club to keep faith.
"I don’t want to stay in the place if I feel like I’m a problem," said the Spaniard, who watched in obvious frustration as City conceded three times in the last 15 minutes in a dramatic capitulation against Feyenoord in midweek. "I don’t want to stay here just because the contract is there.
"My chairman knows it. I said to him, 'Give me the chance to try come back’, and especially when everybody comes back (from injury) and see what happens.
"After, if I’m not able to do it, we have to change because, of course, (the past) nine years are dead.
"More than ever I ask to my hierarchy, give me the chance.
"Will it be easy for me now? No. I have the feeling that still I have a job to do and I want to do it."
City have been hampered by a raft of injuries this term, most pertinently to midfield talisman and Ballon d’Or winner Rodri.
The Euro 2024 winner is expected to miss the remainder of the season and his absence has been keenly felt over the past two months.
Playmaker Kevin De Bruyne has also not started a match since September.
The pressure continues to build with champions City facing a crucial trip to title rivals and Premier League leaders Liverpool today.
Defeat would leave City trailing Arne Slot’s side by 11 points.
"I don’t enjoy it at all, I don’t like it," said Guardiola of his side’s current situation. "I sleep not as good as I slept when I won every game.
"The sound, the smell, the perfume is not good enough right now.
"But I’m the same person who won the four Premier Leagues in a row. I was happier because I ate better, lived better, but I was not thinking differently from who I am."
Guardiola is confident his side will not stop battling as they bid to get back on track.
He said: "The people say, ‘Yeah, it’s the end of that’. Maybe, but we are in November. We will see what happens until the end.
"What can you do? Cry for that? You don’t stay long – many, many years without fighting. That is what you try to look for, this is the best (way).
"Why should we not believe? Why should it not happen with us?"
Liverpool boss Slot expects Guardiola to find a solution to Manchester City's problems and said his ability to innovate is what makes the Catalan the best manager in football.
"He always comes up with solutions for his problems" - Slot on Pep
Even with Liverpool top of both the Premier League and Champions League standings, Slot will take nothing for granted going into the weekend.
"I don’t think anyone in the last eight or nine years, maybe longer, would have said with City, home or away, the word easy never comes up when you think about City," said Slot.
"They are still a very, very good team and one of the reasons why Pep Guardiola is one of the best in the world, I think the best, is he always comes up with solutions for his problems.
"His problem now might be that Rodri is out but we all know he will come up with solutions and their run of form will go again. Hopefully, after Sunday…
"I wouldn’t be surprised if he comes up with another brilliant idea. He was the one who started playing with inverted full-backs, then with a centre-back as a number six. That is why he inspired so many managers.
"He came up with it, we thought it was crazy and then it worked so we all tried to do the same. If there is anyone that can come up with something new, it is definitely him."
The opportunity for Liverpool to take advantage of City’s predicament is obvious and their visitors will hardly be relishing a trip to a ground where, even at full strength, they have won only twice in 27 Premier League matches.
"In general if you play one of your competitors it is always an important moment," Slot said. "It is not so much to do with the amount of points they have but these teams have always been very close together and those games are always very important, just like Arsenal or Chelsea.
"But they are only important if you win against all the other team so every game is very important to win, for them and also for us."
City’s plight has brought into focus an injury list which is headlined by Rodri but goes deeper with Mateo Kovacic, Ruben Dias, John Stones and Oscar Bobb all out while Kevin De Bruyne and Jeremy Doku are among those still working their way back.
But Liverpool have dealt with significant injuries of their own. Trent Alexander-Arnold will be fit to return at the weekend but Alisson and Diogo Jota remain out, while there are fresh doubts over Wednesday’s man of the match Conor Bradley and Ibrahima Konate.
"People only talk about injuries if the results are not there, so it is a good thing if people have not talked about our injuries," Slot said. "But the moment you start to lose is it about kick-off times on a Saturday afternoon or injuries.
"We do have some very important players injured but if the replacements do well it is normal people don’t talk about that."
