Pep Guardiola has issued a stark warning, suggesting he could leave Manchester City if he no longer feels valued.
The City manager is facing the toughest period of his illustrious career after a string of disappointing results, despite recently signing a two-year contract extension at the Etihad.
Guardiola is determined to pull the four-time reigning champions out of their slump, which has seen them suffer five consecutive defeats, including a stunning collapse in midweek, where they squandered a three-goal lead against Feyenoord in the Champions League.
As Man City prepare to face Liverpool, Guardiola knows that a defeat at Anfield will leave them 11 points adrift of Arne Slot’s side, who are leading the Premier League by a commanding margin.
Reflecting on his career, Guardiola made it clear that if he could walk away from a Barcelona team that included Lionel Messi, Xavi, and Andrés Iniesta, he would not hesitate to make a similar decision at Manchester City if he felt it was the right course of action.
Pep Guardiola said: “I was in Barcelona. I would say my club, where I was born. I was there for four years, 14 titles. I had Messi, the best player ever. Neymar was coming – and I said ‘I’m leaving’.
“People asked ‘why are you leaving your hometown with this generational player and with Xavi, Iniesta, Puyol, all the players that changed the world, won World Cups and European Cups?’
“I left because I felt it – and here is the same. If I extend, it’s because I feel it. I’m not sitting here just for what I’ve done.
“Still I’m happy, still I want to try. But I don’t want to stay in the place where I feel I’m a problem. I don’t want to just because the contract is there.
“My chairman knows it. I asked him to give me the chance to try to come back – especially when everybody comes back (from injury) and you see what happens.
“It would have been easy for me to go while we were doing well, but I don’t want to now.
“I had the feeling that I still have a job to do and I want to do it. I want to do it.”
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