Pep Guardiola has agreed to stay, but Man City's form crisis is unlikely to be resolved overnight. The main reason for the Citizens' recent poor run of form is the aftermath of an injury storm. Most recently, the Spanish coach himself confirmed that Mateo Kovacic will be out for 3-4 weeks. Thus, the most likely replacement for Rodri will also be unable to play, signaling that this difficult period will not end soon.
With a squad devastated by injuries, Pep will have to face Tottenham and Liverpool in the near future. Spurs are trying very hard to return to the group competing for a Champions League ticket. Meanwhile, The Kop is too strong, as evidenced by the number 1 position in both the Premier League and the Champions League. If they continue to lose, perhaps Man City will not be able to recover before getting reinforcements in the winter transfer window.
When the news of Pep agreeing to stay at Man City began to spread, the contract was rumored to be for only 1 year (with an option to extend for another season). However, Pep signed a 2-year contract, which surprised even the leaders at Etihad Stadium. It even included a clause that if Man City were relegated next year, the 53-year-old strategist would still stay, which is a huge commitment.
Pep's stay in the medium term will help Man City build a new squad before saying goodbye to the generation of Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan, Bernardo Silva,... This is what Jurgen Klopp did before transferring to Arne Slot. Currently, Slot is very successful and Pep also wants to create such a legacy before saying goodbye in glory.
It is about building the player force, Pep staying also has great significance in keeping Man City's leadership system stable. Football director Txiki Begiristain has left Etihad and left the position to Hugo Viana. If both Pep and Begiristain leave the team, it will be too big a gap in the team's operation, which can make Man City unable to stand up after the scandal of 115 accusations of financial fraud. And Pep staying, Viana will also find it easier to adapt to the new job.
On a personal level, Pep's decision to stay with Man City for another 2 years means a long journey of 11 years working at Etihad. The 53-year-old strategist's family has been caught up in speculation that they want Pep to leave Man City soon to find a new destination, especially after the beginning of 2025 when the team faced numerous accusations of financial fraud. However, when Pep decided to stay, this showed that his family was always ready to support, which was a great spiritual support for the Man City captain to continue working.
In the immediate future, for Man City to be able to solve the problem of personnel and performance is not something Pep can do in a short time. In fact, this may be an unsuccessful season in terms of Man City's title targets. However, once Pep has decided to stay, The Citizens will soon return to their original position. In the past, the Manchester team has struggled many times like now, but in the end, everything will be arranged smoothly.
