Guardiola is coveted but is not exempt from critics
THE ABSENCE OF A TITLE RACE SINCE DECEMBER IS NOT WHAT IS EXPECTED
CITY could yet win the Champions League this season and Pep Guardiola has generally railed against the idea that his team’s form has dropped off significantly this season.
His argument that they have performed at a similar level to the last two years is backed up by awards and records both individual and collective, with the team racking up another century of goals and conceding only two goals fewer than champions Liverpool.
City’s Premier League campaign is best described as feast and famine, with the Blues romping to many victories but failing at both ends of the pitch in too many critical moments.
Still, the 18-point gap between City and top spot and the absence of a title race from early December is nowhere near what was expected this season and it cannot be dismissed easily – nor has it been, according to the manager.
It wasn’t the most newsworthy item in Guardiola first press conference since the announcement that the Court of Arbitration for Sport had overturned the club’s two-year Champions League ban, with the manager taking aim at their rivals with a cold fury, but it was significant.
“My chairman is not happy with me,” he said. “We finished 21 or 23 points behind Liverpool. He’s not happy with me, but we discuss internally to try and do better next season, to convince them but always on the pitch.”
Part of that comment may have been another barb at clubs going behind City’s back to complain about them, yet underlines the high standards set by the owners. Guardiola may well be coveted for as long as possible, although that doesn’t mean he is exempt from all criticism.
He has always been backed though. The manager appreciated the support at the end of his difficult debut season in English football, not just the ability to carry on as he was but the funds to transform the squad in the transfer market.
If that looked a wise decision when the team achieved a record 100 points to mark the first Premier League title of the Guardiola era in some style, the principle of not paying over the odds for transfer targets has cost the Blues a number of chances to build on their success. City’s manager can point to that as an obvious answer if he is asked to account for the team’s shortcomings.
The year after Guardiola was backed, having won the league he signed a contract extension that would make City his longest job in football.
Ahead of his contract ending in 2021, a strong summer transfer window could be exactly what is needed for a repeat.
My chairman is not happy with me but we try to do better next season
Pep Guardiola