Pep Guardiola | Leaving City: Official

quadrant said:
Seems to have been an open secret for a while that he's going. It would be a bigger surprise if he stayed.

Suspect this will mark the beginning of an era where the title switches each year between a handful of clubs for a while. City will continue to massage their accounts for financial advantage, but I can't see them getting another Pep. I dont think there's one out there.
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Fully agree with this. Its clearly most likely that he is leaving.

And I think you're right about the future. There is only one Pep, they won't get another. And given all the attention from the charges plus all the fake revenue that they have now established anyway, I think its most likely that the future is simply one in which City are content to be among the 3-4 wealthiest clubs in the PL (City, Liverpool, United, maybe Arsenal) but don't have a significant financial advantage over the others.
 
It really drives home his advantages when he is able to rest all his key players in a title race with only a few games left of the season, and still win comfortably.

Just so many advantages over the field that rivals just have to try and overcome. He loses titles rather than wins them.
 
Maluco said:
It really drives home his advantages when he is able to rest all his key players in a title race with only a few games left of the season, and still win comfortably.

Just so many advantages over the field that rivals just have to try and overcome. He loses titles rather than wins them.
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He's the most overrated manager in history.
 
Maluco said:
It really drives home his advantages when he is able to rest all his key players in a title race with only a few games left of the season, and still win comfortably.

Just so many advantages over the field that rivals just have to try and overcome. He loses titles rather than wins them.
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To be fair, there isn't much between City and Arsenal squad this season and I'd edge it to Arsenal so Arteta could have managed and changed his squad more than he has, he just chose not to.
 
SilentWitness said:
To be fair, there isn't much between City and Arsenal squad this season and I'd edge it to Arsenal so Arteta could have managed and changed his squad more than he has, he just chose not to.
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I can’t agree there to be honest.

Marmoush, Savinho, Foden hardly seen for large stretches of the season. The ability to sign Guehi and Semenyo in January. Long term injuries like Gvardiol and Kovacic barely affecting them.

Most of those players start for Arsenal, never mind as bit part squad players. It’s absurd.
 
Said it before I’d love it if Chelsea win on Saturday and Arsenal win the league and then he decides to bugger off.

Arsenal historically in the premier league era have always been bad at retaining titles, the title race next year could be wide open.
 
Witchking said:
I am not sure i understand why this tiny 2 second video shows as some sending off? What are those things in the middle and who are those 3 people in there? No twitter so can't read comments etc.
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They'll be the trophies Bernardo Silva won during his time there. Feel bad for John Stones though if that send off is just for Silva. Stones has been there longer.
 
Witchking said:
I am not sure i understand why this tiny 2 second video shows as some sending off? What are those things in the middle and who are those 3 people in there? No twitter so can't read comments etc.
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I am guessing that upon those podiums sit each of the trophies Guardiola has won at City. The video will have him (or Bernardo Silva, apparently) strolling around the trophies in a moment of deep reflection. Or a big bag o' cash sits on each podium, representing Guardiola's attachment to City.
 
Maluco said:
I can’t agree there to be honest.

Marmoush, Savinho, Foden hardly seen for large stretches of the season. The ability to sign Guehi and Semenyo in January. Long term injuries like Gvardiol and Kovacic barely affecting them.

Most of those players start for Arsenal, never mind as bit part squad players. It’s absurd.
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Semenyo and Gvardiol yes, but not sure about the rest. They have the 2 best CBs in the league so Guehi is out, Foden, Marmoush and Savinho are hot and cold and no better than what they've got. Kovacic is passed it and imo not as good as what Arsenal have

I do however agree with your overall point about city having top players that can be left out/absent without much of a hindrance to the results.
 
Steve Bruce said:
Semenyo and Gvardiol yes, but not sure about the rest. They have the 2 best CBs in the league so Guehi is out, Foden, Marmoush and Savinho are hot and cold and no better than what they've got. Kovacic is passed it and imo not as good as what Arsenal have

I do however agree with your overall point about city having top players that can be left out/absent without much of a hindrance to the results.
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This makes so much difference and is why they hoover up domestic cups year after year.

Foden and Marmoush are way better than any Arsenal attackers bar Saka and Savinho would be much more exciting than either Trossard or Martinelli. They are literally making up the numbers at City, and showed last night how capable they are at this level.
 
Maluco said:
I can’t agree there to be honest.

Marmoush, Savinho, Foden hardly seen for large stretches of the season. The ability to sign Guehi and Semenyo in January. Long term injuries like Gvardiol and Kovacic barely affecting them.

Most of those players start for Arsenal, never mind as bit part squad players. It’s absurd.
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I don't think Marmoush, Savinho, Guehi, or Kovacic start for Arsenal. Foden and Gvardiol maybe but as another person says they're hot and cold. Even Marmoush is. Savinho hasn't been that great for City either.

Semenyo would.

Arsenal have a very stacked squad.
 
You are both underrating assets just because they aren’t being used. Trossard has 3 goals in 2026 and Foden got as many assists last night as Eze has all season.
 
Maluco said:
You are both underrating assets just because they aren’t being used. Trossard has 3 goals in 2026 and Foden got as many assists last night as Eze has all season.
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Goal and assist stats don't just determine how good a player is or how well they generally perform. There's a lot more to it. Semenyo has more than Saka this season but I doubt many people would say he's a better player.

I really don't think there is a lot between the two squads when you look at them on paper. Quite a lot of people at the start of this season had Arsenal with the better squad. It's closer now due to the Guehi / Semenyo deals but I'd still edge Arsenal (if everyone is injury free, as that hampers Arsenal usually).
 
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Damien said:
They'll be the trophies Bernardo Silva won during his time there. Feel bad for John Stones though if that send off is just for Silva. Stones has been there longer.
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They were still bringing podiums out from what I saw, one for each charge.
 
SilentWitness said:
Goal and assist stats don't just determine how good a player is or how well they generally perform. There's a lot more to it. Semenyo has more than Saka this season but I doubt many people would say he's a better player.

I really don't think there is a lot between the two squads when you look at them on paper. Quite a lot of people at the start of this season had Arsenal with the better squad. It's closer now due to the Guehi / Semenyo deals but I'd still edge Arsenal.
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Of course there is, but last night was just a sample that Marmoush, Foden are better players than Eze, Trossard, Martinelli. Players Arsenal depend on in their first eleven. They could disappear for the entire campaign and City wouldn’t even feel it.
 
Maluco said:
Of course there is, but last night was just a sample that Marmoush, Foden are better players than Eze, Trossard, Martinelli. Players Arsenal depend on in their first eleven. They could disappear for the entire campaign and City wouldn’t even feel it.
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I don't think that necessarily suggests that City have a better squad than Arsenal. Foden has more minutes than Trossard and Martinelli this season as well.
 
Steve Bruce said:
Semenyo and Gvardiol yes, but not sure about the rest. They have the 2 best CBs in the league so Guehi is out, Foden, Marmoush and Savinho are hot and cold and no better than what they've got. Kovacic is passed it and imo not as good as what Arsenal have

I do however agree with your overall point about city having top players that can be left out/absent without much of a hindrance to the results.
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It's not just about how good they are, it's also about what their transfers represent. Marmoush cost City £60m and they can get away with barely using him. If Pep doesn't rate him City will quietly move him on with no fuss and then drop another £70m on his replacement. Which other manager has that advantage?

It's similar with Savinho. He joined City's football group in 2022 but didn't actually join City until 2024. They can basically sign promising players and trial them at their weaker clubs and, if they're good enough, move them on to City for Pep to use. Which other manager has that access to players?
 
There will be an inevitable dip next season, under Marecsa post Guardiola. There always is when a legendary manager leaves a club
 
Mogget said:
It's not just about how good they are, it's also about what their transfers represent. Marmoush cost City £60m and they can get away with barely using him. If Pep doesn't rate him City will quietly move him on with no fuss and then drop another £70m on his replacement. Which other manager has that advantage?

It's similar with Savinho. He joined City's football group in 2022 but didn't actually join City until 2024. They can basically sign promising players and trial them at their weaker clubs and, if they're good enough, move them on to City for Pep to use. Which other manager has that access to players?
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I agree with this though re-squad and his advantage. He's way ahead in this respect.
 
I think it's pretty much beyond reasonable doubt Guardiola's team were doped to the balls in his Barcelona times.

The fact that Operation Puerto caught all of Dr Fuentes bloodbags and rather than release the names of the athletes, they covered up his clients and denied Fuentes testimony as to who he was doping is pretty telling. They wouldn't do that just to protect Alberto Contador and Alejandro Valverde who were practically confirmed (Valverde's blood bag was literally labelled Valv.Piti. Piti is the name of Valverde's dog :lol: ).

But the Spanish authorities would definitely do that to protect its football teams (and national team.).

What's more, for once Barcelona's cause is being helped by arch-rivals Real Madrid, as well as two other Spanish clubs, Valencia and Real Betis. Because yesterday French newspaper Le Monde claimed all four had worked with Eufemiano Fuentes, the 51-year-old Canary Islands-based doctor currently under investigation in Spain for his alleged role in systematically providing banned performance-enhancers to hundreds of top sportsmen and women.



"Barcelona categorically denies the information published by French newspaper Le Monde regarding a supposed, inexistent service provided by Eufemiano Fuentes and his supposed and inexistent involvement in our physical preparations last season," read a club statement. "FC Barcelona reserves the right to use all the legal means it considers necessary to defend its interests."
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Yesterday Le Monde published an interview with Fuentes in which he was quoted as saying, "I worked with Spanish first and second division clubs ... I worked with several at the same time, sometimes directly with the players, sometimes by sharing my knowledge with clubs' doctors. I also had an offer from an Italian club but I turned it down."
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Damien said:
They'll be the trophies Bernardo Silva won during his time there. Feel bad for John Stones though if that send off is just for Silva. Stones has been there longer.
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Didn't recognize those things as podiums.
Can't feel bad for a City player, he went there knowing it's a soulless club. But yeah, he's been an excellent player for the unfortunately.

Gazza said:
I am guessing that upon those podiums sit each of the trophies Guardiola has won at City. The video will have him (or Bernardo Silva, apparently) strolling around the trophies in a moment of deep reflection. Or a big bag o' cash sits on each podium, representing Guardiola's attachment to City.
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:lol:

Ish said:
Those are all the trophies won during [insert name/Pep/Bernardo/Stones] time there
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Thank you guys! Think Pep ends up staying if he doesn't win the title this season and that is looking more and more likely.
 
Maluco said:
I can’t agree there to be honest.

Marmoush, Savinho, Foden hardly seen for large stretches of the season. The ability to sign Guehi and Semenyo in January. Long term injuries like Gvardiol and Kovacic barely affecting them.

Most of those players start for Arsenal, never mind as bit part squad players. It’s absurd.
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Agree with this. City are the only team in the world that can sign a player, find out he isn’t good enough and replace him the next transfer window.

City have a lot of flops contrary to popular belief, they just don’t stay with em long.

There’s already talk of them replacing Reijnders cos he hasn’t had a good second half of the season. To put it into perspective this is Ugartes second full season and only now there’s talks of signing a replacement for him. We get stuck with our bad signings as do most teams, City quickly take the financial hit and move on. Players like Mount and Ugarte wouldn’t survive a second season at City.
 
Adisa said:
Ridiculous.
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He’s definitely extremely talented but it does make it basically impossible to quantify any achievements when he’s only ever been at clubs that have quite a substantial advantage over the rest of the league. And it went up a notch at City with all the financial doping.

He was able to replace dud signings as soon as required whereas every other club has to live with the consequences of those decisions. They were able to get a new stadium, fancy facilities, youth set-up, etc… without ever having to compromise financially in other areas like Arsenal and Spurs had to.

The fact that they could just go out and buy the likes of Semenyo, Guehi this Jan and spend £100m the Jan before too is just miles more than any other club can do.

He’s been successful because of it but personally I can never put him up there because he’s had platforms nobody else has had.
 
Maluco said:
It really drives home his advantages when he is able to rest all his key players in a title race with only a few games left of the season, and still win comfortably.

Just so many advantages over the field that rivals just have to try and overcome. He loses titles rather than wins them.
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Or maybe he did a good job? Their lineup was that good. Palace are pretty poor.
 
Solius said:
He’s definitely extremely talented but it does make it basically impossible to quantify any achievements when he’s only ever been at clubs that have quite a substantial advantage over the rest of the league. And it went up a notch at City with all the financial doping.

He was able to replace dud signings as soon as required whereas every other club has to live with the consequences of those decisions. They were able to get a new stadium, fancy facilities, youth set-up, etc… without ever having to compromise financially in other areas like Arsenal and Spurs had to.

The fact that they could just go out and buy the likes of Semenyo, Guehi this Jan and spend £100m the Jan before too is just miles more than any other club can do.

He’s been successful because of it but personally I can never put him up there because he’s had platforms nobody else has had.
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That's not exactly true, teams often buy in January for that reason and they still have plenty of weaknesses.

In recent years they haven't spent much and could spend more now.
 
Solius said:
He’s definitely extremely talented but it does make it basically impossible to quantify any achievements when he’s only ever been at clubs that have quite a substantial advantage over the rest of the league. And it went up a notch at City with all the financial doping.

He was able to replace dud signings as soon as required whereas every other club has to live with the consequences of those decisions. They were able to get a new stadium, fancy facilities, youth set-up, etc… without ever having to compromise financially in other areas like Arsenal and Spurs had to.

The fact that they could just go out and buy the likes of Semenyo, Guehi this Jan and spend £100m the Jan before too is just miles more than any other club can do.

He’s been successful because of it but personally I can never put him up there because he’s had platforms nobody else has had.
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He has been at such clubs because he’s an extremely talented coach.

I don’t understand why that’s a slight on him. Like he should go to a struggling club just to prove people wrong. Barcelona and Bayern are not financially doped clubs and even at City, he has often got players to outperform the expectations placed on them.
 
Hammondo said:
That's not exactly true, teams often buy in January for that reason and they still have plenty of weaknesses.

In recent years they haven't spent much and could spend more now.
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They don’t spend as much in January as City have. Maybe Chelsea. Obviously there’s lots of question marks over their fees too. Infinite money and yet they seem to never get fleeced. Lots of under the table stuff rumoured.
 
Hammondo said:
Or maybe he did a good job? Their lineup was that good. Palace are pretty poor.
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Lucky Palace was rotating as well or it could’ve backfired spectacularly. Still his point is valid. The squad depth Pep has had at City is unprecedented.
 
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