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Pep Guardiola believes he has avoided the sack Manchester City after five consecutive losses and a draw, because eight years of success there gave him “margin”.
City threw away a three-goal lead The 3-3 draw with Feyenoord on Tuesday as they end their losing streak and travel to Liverpool on Sunday knowing they will fall 11 points behind leaders Arne Slot if they lose.
The outspoken Guardiola also claimed the club would “have” to sack him if he could not fix the problems and reiterated his oft-stated claim he would leave if he felt he was no longer useful.
“At this football club you have to win and if you don’t you’re in trouble,” said the manager. “I know people say: ‘Why isn’t Pep in trouble, why isn’t Pep fired?’ What we have done in the last eight years is why I have this margin.
“People rely on me, the hierarchy. It is not normal in big clubs to do the results we have, but we have to accept it. What is certain, I want to stay. I want to do it But the moment I feel that I am not positive for the club, another will come. It should be.
“I want a chance to try. I don’t want to run. I want to be there and rebuild the team in many aspects from now until the end of the season and next season. I want to continue until then. I asked for this challenge and I asked for this opportunity to do it because I feel it. I know what we want to do, I know what we need.”
Guardiola has led City to the last four Premier League titles and six in total. He has also won two FA Cups, four League Cups, the Champions League, the UEFA Super Cup and the FIFA Club World Cup. He was asked if City chairman Khaldoon al-Mubarak had offered any guarantees this week.
“We’ve been talking for nine years here – not every day but after games all the time and before sometimes,” he said. “He told me his opinion, I gave mine, Tsiki [Begiristain, sporting director] give your opinion, the players give their opinion [too] and then we try to figure out how to move forward.
“He [Mubarak] knows perfectly well that we are not here because we are nice and that we are taking these results. He knows that we will find a solution and … if that doesn’t happen, the club will have to make the decision and the decision they have to make.”
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Guardiola said he took “absolutely all the responsibility on my shoulders” and that he and his players must ensure “there are no complaints, accusations, pointing”.
Guardiola is without Rodri due to a serious knee injury which is expected to sideline the midfielder until next season, while front-line centre-backs Nathan Ake, John Stones, Ruben Diaz and Manuel Akanji have also been absent at times. Guardiola refused to use these absences as mitigation.
“After a decade, we don’t find it [anywhere]” he said of City’s run of success before reflecting on the slump. “It’s not a nice place to live, but what do you expect?” That everything is easy? It’s easy when everyone’s fit and in their prime and everyone’s 26, 27, 28. Not now. It must be placed [forward] now. That’s no excuse for Rhodri not being there. Crying all the time? That the four central defenders were not there. I have to find a solution and I try every day.”
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