Bayern, Barca would have sacked me by now – Pep
PEP GUARDIOLA believes Bayern Munich and Barcelona would have sacked him if he had overseen a similar campaign to the one his Manchester City team have had at either of the European powerhouses.
Guardiola who took over at the Etihad at the start of the season after trophy-laden spells in Spain and Germany had confirmed his status as one of the world’s most sought-after coaches, but finding success in England has been harder to achieve.
City can finish no higher than third in the Premier League and were knocked out of both domestic Cups and the Champions League, with Guardiola set to end a season without any silverware for the first time in his managerial career.
“At Barcelona or Bayern Munich, there you have to win by far,” Guardiola told a news conference on Monday. “If not, they don’t give you a second chance.
“(The) pressure I had when I arrived in Barcelona, when I had nothing to defend (myself with) – at that club, if in six months you don’t win, you are really out.”
Guardiola is prepared to embrace the “second chance” he believes City have given him, but said he could lose his job next season if the results did not improve.
“Here they gave me a second chance and we will try to do it. In my situation at a big club – I’m sacked, I’m out. Sure. Definitely,” he added.
“At the clubs I worked at before, I am not here, but here we have a second chance and we will try to do it better than this season.
“If what happens next season is not going well, I’ll have one more year of contract, and if it’s not going well they are going to change manager. I am not staying here because I am Pep or what I have done a long time ago.”
Meanwhile, Chelsea captain John Terry is assessing whether to retire from football after the league champions’ final game of the season against Sunderland on Sunday.
The 36-year-old has watched most of Chelsea’s title-winning campaign from the bench this season, but opened the scoring in the 4-3 win over Watford on Monday night – his eighth league appearance of the season.
“I know I said I wanted to play regular football, but I have not ruled out Sunday being my last game and retiring,” Terry told British media after the game.
“It depends if the right offer comes... but I haven’t made any decisions yet and I am just evaluating my options. I never wanted to be that player just hanging about that people can’t wait to get rid of or stopping the progress of a younger player coming through.”
Terry, who has played more than 700 times for Chelsea – the club he joined as a 14-year-old schoolboy – said adjusting to a bit-part role this season had been hard, but credited manager Antonio Conte with helping to ease the transition.
“He has been brilliant with me,” Terry added.