Pep Guardiola has suggested that the thumping his Manchester City side got against Sporting helped motivate him to sign a contract extension at the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola’s new deal runs until June 2026 and includes the option of a further 12 months, taking him past a decade in charge of the Blues. The announcement comes amid a torrid run of form for the reigning Premier League champions, who went into the international break off the back of four consecutive defeats – a first for Guardiola as a manager.
Since the home win over Southampton just under a month ago, City have been turned over by Tottenham, Bournemouth, Sporting and Brighton.
The Sporting defeat was particularly painful, with the Portuguese side, who were still managed by new Manchester United boss Ruben Amorim at the time, streaking clear in the second half to win 4-1.
Guardiola has admitted that the humbling he got at the hands of his new local rival, along with the three other defeats in City’s nightmare run, gave him the push he needed to sign on the dotted line.
« I felt I could not leave now, simple as that, » explained the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich head coach. « Don’t ask me the reason why. Maybe the four defeats was the reason why I felt I cannot leave. »
City are five points behind Liverpool in their hunt for a fifth consecutive Premier League title, and only 10th in the Champions League standings after a rocky start in Europe. The circumstances are tricky for Guardiola, who has been battling rampant injury issues in recent weeks and will be without newly-crowned Ballon d’Or winner Rodri for the whole 2023/24 season.
But the 53-year-old is hopeful of masterminding a turnaround. « As long as we have good players we will be successful and I think the club is targeting this, » he said. « Sometimes you have to move players, bring new ones, and as long as you have a good mentality and these standards, the club will be in the position that it deserves to be.
« Every time I sign the contract I say, ‘Ok this is the last two [years]’, and after I sign [another] contract I say, ‘Ok, the last two’, and still we are here. »
The first of a jam-packed eight-game run for City starts at home to Tottenham on Saturday, before a meeting with Feyenoord in the Champions League and a mouth-watering showdown with Liverpool at Anfield.
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