I’d Have Been Sacked At A Big Club – Pep Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has suggested the results of his first season as Manchester City manager would have seen him sacked by either Barcelona or Bayern Munich.

Guardiola won 14 trophies in four seasons as manager at the Nou Camp, and seven in three years with Bayern.

He never finished lower than second while in charge of Barcelona, while winning the Bundesliga in each of his three seasons in Germany.

But the Spaniard has found life more difficult in England.

Guardiola can finish no higher than third in this season’s Premier League, which will be the lowest final placing of his managerial career. He will also end the campaign without a trophy for the first time as a coach.

He has acknowledged that he needs to do better if he is to avoid being labelled a failure in the Premier League.

“I had pressure when I became manager at Barcelona, when I had no reputation to defend myself with,” Guardiola said Monday.

“At that club, if in six months you don’t win, you are really out. At Barcelona or Bayern Munich, you have to win by far. If not, they don’t give you a second chance.

“Here they gave me a second chance and we will try to do it,” he added. “In my situation at a big club: I’m sacked. I’m out. Sure. Definitely.

“At the clubs I worked at before, I would not be here now, but here we have a second chance and we will try to do it better than this season.”

Guardiola joined City on a three-year contract in July after leaving Bayern Munich, and still has the full backing of club owner Sheikh Mansour and chairman Khaldoon al Mubarak.

He admits he has needed time to adjust to English football –- speaking several times this season about the high number of contenders for the Champions League spots, and revealing surprise at how challenges that are fouls in Spain are allowed to go unpunished in the Premier League.

But he is adamant he will get it right at City – because he will not be given forever if he does not.