For the first time in nearly a decade, there are whispers about the man who turned Manchester City into a dynasty and a symbol of footballing excellence.
After a forgettable 2024/25 season by his very high standards, Pep Guardiola is facing uncomfortable questions. He still has two years left on his contract, but his seat has never felt quite this warm.
By Guardiola’s own admission, that was the toughest season of his managerial career. He hasn’t ended a season without a major trophy since his City project started in 2016/17.
And even then, there were signs that something special was budding. Fast-forward eight years later, and this feels different. There are several reasons why, but it’s on Guardiola to make sure this is a one-off.
He made up for the questionable campaign by rewarding those who buy Manchester City tickets from Seatsnet.com with a top-four finish.
But can he restore City to the pinnacle of English football? Or has the Spanish magician lost his touch?
A fall from grace
It’s easy to forget just how dominant City were. Only two years ago, they were celebrating a historic treble, winning the Champions League for the first time in the club’s history.
After placing City among an elite crop of European clubs to have won the treble, Guardiola was hailed as a genius and a patron of the modern game.
That success proved that his methods worked as well in Manchester as they had in Barcelona or Munich.
But then came the crash. They went into the 2024/25 season with plenty of optimism. They had already won the Premier League four times in a row. They had nothing left to prove.
City still had the core of their treble-winning squad, and Guardiola promised to “evolve” rather than overhaul. Yet no one doubted their ability to make it five in a row. But it didn’t work out that way.
They won the Community Shield in August. To many, that doesn’t matter in the grand scheme of things.
Not to Guardiola, though. The Spaniard would later cling to it in a tense exchange with a journalist who dared to suggest City went trophyless.
“No, it’s not true, my friend, I’m sorry to tell you,” Guardiola snapped back before the question was completely put to him.
“You would like it, but it’s not true. We won the Community Shield! Thank you.”
That moment summed up the tension that has simmered all year. A proud coach, aware of the falling standards but unwilling to accept that the season was a complete failure.
Perhaps Guardiola is a victim of his own success. He has set such a high standard that City are now judged by the calibre of their head coach rather than their on-field performances.
City are now expected to compete for the title every year that qualifying for the Champions League – a feat celebrated by many others – is now considered the bare minimum.
A downward spiral no one saw coming
By the halfway point of the campaign, the writing was on the wall. A run of one win in 13 matches between October and December marked the worst spell of Guardiola’s career.
Injuries played a part. Losing Balon d’Or winner Rodri to an ACL tear in October deprived City of their chief tempo controller in the middle of the park.
Their creative heartbeat, Kevin De Bruyne, was barely fit enough to string together a consistent run of games, while Erling Braut Haaland’s blistering start was soon forgotten as injury and fatigue caught up.
But injuries tell only part of the story. What really troubled City fans was the loss of identity. Guardiola’s teams are built on control, possession, positioning, and pressing.
But this season, City looked laboured. They conceded silly goals. They lacked rhythm in midfield. At times, it was hard to tell what they were trying to achieve.
The defeats piled up. First, it was Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup. Then, a stunning defeat against Bournemouth, who claimed their first-ever victory over City.
What followed was arguably the worst of them all. A 5-1 humiliation at the hands of Arsenal. The Gunners exposed every flaw in Guardiola’s system, ripping the champions to shreds at the Emirates Stadium.
By March, City were out of the Premier League title race, sitting 15 points behind Liverpool.
The Champions League campaign had already unravelled, and the final blow came with a second successive FA Cup Final defeat, this time to Crystal Palace.
Guardiola could only watch as City limped towards the finish line. But at least he was proactive with his squad rebuild, kicking things off with a £180 million splurge in January.
A summer rebuild – where does that leave Guardiola?
Guardiola started his squad rebuild in January, spending a fortune to bring in Omar Marmoush from Eintracht Frankfurt, Vitor Reis from Palmeiras, and Abdukodir Khusanov from RC Lens.
Midfielder Nico Gonzalez also joined City from Fiorentina on deadline day. He was supposed to step in for the recovering Rodri but has so far struggled to leave a lasting impression on Guardiola.
Needing more reinforcements to make sure last season was a one-off, City have spent another £116m this summer on Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, and Tijjani Reijnders.
There are rumours that the club could still go for a left winger, although that could be after their FIFA Club World Cup campaign.
Meanwhile, De Bruyne has joined Napoli on a free transfer. He’s the first of what’s expected to be a massive overhaul this summer, with incoming sporting director Hugo Viana auditing the squad.
Guardiola is being heavily backed, with City sparing no expense to build a team capable of challenging for major honours on multiple fronts.
But it also raises the stakes for the Spaniard. City are characteristically known to come alive in the second half of the season, so a slow start may do no more than raise a few eyebrows.
However, if they’re not in the title conversation at the business end of the season, Guardiola’s warm seat might get a little warmer.
The hot topic at the moment is whether Guardiola can reinvent himself once more or whether the machine he built is simply burning out.
He has never been one to hide. “The season has been difficult, a tough year,” he admitted. “We struggled a lot in the Champions League. We weren’t solid or consistent.”
He also touched on the emotional side of things. “When you don’t win, it’s more demanding emotionally, preparing, and the moods and everything,” he said.
“I’m disappointed in myself when it’s not going well. I have to prove myself again and again.”
It’s rare for a manager of Guardiola’s stature to sound so vulnerable. But the raw honesty reveals a man who understands that, in football, nothing is permanent.
Now, the club has stood by him. It’s up to him to prove he still has what it takes to deliver at the highest level, or questions will need to be asked about his future at the club.
