City's Plan Prevails: Guardiola's Blueprint Ends Old Admirers' Dream
[Getty Images] Former Premier League midfielder Leon Osman says Manchester City's early Champions League exit could be a factor in "hugely competitive" Pep Guardiola deciding to stay in charge for another year. Real Madrid knocked City out of the competition for the third consecutive season, - and the fourth time in five - and Guardiola has now failed to reach the quarter-finals of the Champions League for the second successive campaign after only failing once in his first 15 as a manager. "It's hard to determine which high you want to go out on and how you feel when you're leaving somewhere," Osman told BBC Radio 5 Live's Football Daily podcast.
"When will he feel like it's job done? With the job Guardiola has done at City and how he has propelled them to be champions so many times, it just wouldn't sit right if he left at the end of this season with them [potentially] not actually winning anything and maybe not being in a good position. "I do think silverware is important and will come into his thoughts when making his decision.
" City trail leaders Arsenal by nine points in the Premier League with eight matches left to play, including a game in hand, while they meet the Gunners in the Carabao Cup final on Sunday and have an FA Cup quarter-final against rivals Liverpool coming up in early April. "Maybe the Carabao Cup would be enough and he will sit back at the end of the season and think that is a nice way to finish," Osman added. "But, you can see he is a hugely competitive person - you can see that in his desire to be at the very top and be successful at the very best teams.
"My gut feeling is he might just stay another year. " Listen to the full episode on BBC Sounds