Pep Guardiola is under a mean spell. Manchester City is in a rut, and even the most genius of coaches can’t seem to find an escape plan. The Cityzens went the entire month of November winless. On Wednesday, they lost again to Juventus, making them winless in three Champions League games. With only two matchweeks left, City sits in the UCL knockout play-offs zone to ensure survival. Their next opponent, PSG, is equally desperate.
The pressure in Europe and City’s dwindling Premier League primacy puts Guardiola under the microscope. After the UCL loss last night, the Spaniard confessed that he’s “not going to manage another team” in club football.
He’s certainly not dancing (or flashing) anymore. Sorry.
Pep, who took a sabbatical in New York after his trophy-laden Blaugrana stint, is not one to take a break for very long. The itch is too great. He coached Bayern Munich a year after surfeit walks in Central Park. And now City, where he just re-signed for another two years until 2027, appears to be exhausting him and his players.
Pep needs a change of scenery. New York is always a good idea. No one will hold the 53-year-old to his recent statement about not coaching another club. Everyone knows the Barcelona tug remains strong. But there is one other Catalan club that Pep may fancy: Girona.
Girona is a real possibility as Pep Guardiola’s next coaching destination. Why? His younger brother Pere is the president of the Catalan club, which nearly emerged last season as La Liga’s very own Leicester City. The Blanquivermells finished third, giving them the launchpad into the Champions League this term.
Girona lost to Liverpool in Matchday six on Tuesday, putting them 30th in the new-look Champions League phase table. That’s a far way down, and they’ll likely be eliminated. But Pere has the club where it needs to be in its redevelopment.
Pep’s younger brother wants him to coach Girona one day
“Yes, I always say ‘the day when you get bored, you can come and coach Girona!’” Pere said in an interview with the Telegraph this week.
He adds: “In life, you never know but I don’t think it’s going to happen! But Girona is a very good place for football. The weather is great. The region is good. The club itself has a pressure because we live 24-hour football, but the environment and the history there is not that pressure like with big clubs.”
For the record, Manchester is cultured (hello, Stone Roses) but gloomy. But to think Pep will call it quits this season is highly unlikely, especially after inking a recent extension.
Despite the injuries and recent struggles, City always seems to find a turnaround after Christmas. That’s when the Citizens normaly heat up and don’t look back, cruising past Arsenal to take the Premier League crown the last two seasons.
Will this Premier League finale be any different? Knowing Pep, who’s encouraging his players not to “feel sorry” for themselves and to rediscover their best form, a solution is around the corner.
