Guardiola rips Manchester City after EuroLeague setback to Real Madrid
MANCHESTER, England (AP) — Pep Guardiola wore a lumberjack-style shirt and Real Madrid chopped Manchester City down in the Champions League once again. Who knows how many more chances Guardiola will get to win European club soccer's greatest prize with just one season remaining on his contract and increasing speculation he could walk away at the end of this campaign. “Everybody wants to fire me,” Guardiola said when questioned about his future following the 2-1 loss at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday.
“One day I will come out here and say 'bye, bye guys'. ” Guardiola's position is the subject of much debate after 10 years at City, which is already by far the longest he has stayed at any club as a manager. He has repeatedly referred to the remaining time on his contract when questioned, but doubts remain.
“The future will be bright and next season we will be back,” he said following the 5-1 aggregate loss in the round-of-16 tie. Was that a clue as to his immediate plans? “When I've retired in 10 years I will always be City.
In the Champions League, I will say I will be back because I am part of them. ” It is difficult to second-guess Guardiola. There has often been speculation about him walking away, but he has repeatedly signed new contracts.
He never ended a contract early in his time as coach of Barcelona and Bayern Munich. But that has not quelled rumors that it will be different this time, with City looking likely to go two years without the Premier League title for the first time since he was appointed in 2016. If this was his final tilt at the Champions League with City, he was giving little away.