Barca, Real Madrid would have sacked me this season – Guardiola

Pep Guardiola has admitted he likely wouldn’t have survived the season had he endured Manchester City’s struggles while managing Barca or Real Madrid.

City finished third in the Premier League during the 2024-25 campaign, 13 points adrift of champions Liverpool, in what was their worst season since Guardiola’s first in charge.

They were eliminated early in both the Champions League and Carabao Cup and suffered a shock defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final.

Between late October and mid-December, City endured a brutal run, losing nine out of 13 matches.

Despite the slump, the club stood by Guardiola and even extended his contract in November.

The former Barcelona manager, however, said Spanish clubs would not have shown the same patience.

“With the year we’ve had, if this were Spain, I wouldn’t be coaching in October, November or December,” Guardiola told DAZN. “If this were Barça or Madrid, they would have sacked me. But here it wasn’t even a question. You have to have a little more patience.”

He pointed to Carlo Ancelotti’s recent departure from Real Madrid as an example of how quickly expectations can shift in Spain.

“Look at Carlo Ancelotti,” he added. “He won the Champions League and LaLiga four days ago and now he’s off to coach in Brazil.”

Following Ancelotti’s exit, Real Madrid appointed Xabi Alonso after what was seen as a disappointing defense of their domestic and European titles.

Meanwhile, City have already begun reinforcing their squad for next season, with the signings of Tijjani Reijnders, Rayan Aït-Nouri, and France winger Rayan Cherki. Both City and Madrid are set to compete in the Club World Cup, which kicks off on Saturday.