Pep Guardiola's words are often intertwined with exaggeration and sarcasm, sometimes a mix of both, so his statements always open up many interpretations.
However, looking back at his worst season in a coaching career, Guardiola still declared: "I am happy to have failed".
If the "failure" is placed in the context of 12 national championships after 15 previous seasons, three Champions League titles and a series of records, then that is the standard that Guardiola has set for himself.
A year ago, fans believed that Manchester City would make history with their fifth consecutive Premier League title. But in reality, they only finished in third place.
The Citizens are 22nd in the League Phase Champions League, having been knocked out by Al-Hilal at the 2025 FIFA Club World Cup, and lost to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final.
They have suffered 5 consecutive losses, in a series of 9 defeats after only 12 matches. In the remaining 3 matches, there was a draw with Feyenoord despite leading 3-0 - a clear illustration for an unbelievablely declining season.
In that context, Guardiola has extended his contract, despite failures, the risk of an empire collapsing, the news of his loyal partner Txiki Begiristain about to leave the position of Director of Football and the hearing of 115 (in fact 130) allegations from the Premier League.
It can be seen as a testament to loyalty or a manifestation of stubbornness.
Guardiola has confirmed that he will rest after leaving Man City, with a bit of a familiar exaggeration when saying that the break could last 15 years. However, a person who has nothing to prove seems to have many things to complete.
Part of that motivation comes from Man City's collapse last season. Now, Liverpool is considered the leading candidate and spending big in the transfer market.
Man City's dominance era may have ended, or simply a rare stumble. However, Guardiola still has a lot of " space to act" to reclaim the throne.
And now, Guardiola is building the "third Man City team" of his reign. The second generation has disbanded: Kevin De Bruyne has not been offered a contract extension, Kyle Walker has moved to Burnley, Jack Grealish has joined Everton.
Former captain Ilkay Gundogan, who was once the third choice for the captain's armband, is now having a hard time getting a starting position. Even Ederson - a revolutionary goalkeeper in Guardiola's playing style - is entering the final year of his contract, facing competition from the newly returned James Trafford.
Man City has reformed a £300 million squad with 10 new contracts in 2025. Each number has its own meaning and reflects the scale of the reconstruction that Chairman Khaldoon Al-Mubarak admitted was delayed.
He frankly admitted that Man City were not "enthusiastic" enough in the transfer market last summer, when he underestimated the need to rejuvenate an aging team.
However, this huge budget is divided in many directions. If Liverpool are willing to spend £100 million on Florian Wirtz, only one of Man City's 10 new signings - Omar Marmoush - is worth over £50 million.
Of the four winter signings, Marmoush is the only one likely to break into the starting lineup, and that is not certain.
In the group of 6 summer recruits, Tijjani Reijnders and Rayan Cherki stand out in both quality and value. However, it is still difficult to avoid being compared to Gundogan and De Bruyne in their peak.
