“Managers are not magicians” – Pep Guardiola delivers passionate defence of Manchester City’s horror August | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola has provided a detailed explanation of Manchester City’s struggles earlier this season as the Blues challenge Arsenal for the Premier League title.

The Etihad Stadium witnessed a summer of major upheaval as Hugo Viana replaced long-serving executive Txiki Begiristain as sporting director and ushered in a new era in the backdrop of Manchester City’s trophyless 2024-25 season.

Guardiola overhauled his coaching staff and introduced seven new signings as Viana signed off on the notable exits of Kevin De Bruyne, Kyle Walker, Ilkay Gundogan, Scott Carson, James McAtee and Ederson to streamline the first-team ranks and trim the wage bill.

City’s new-look side impressed at the FIFA Club World Cup in the United States in June and after a strong first half of August, underpinned by comfortable wins over Palermo and Wolves, the Blues finished the opening month of the 2025-26 Premier League campaign in the bottom half of the table courtesy of subsequent losses to Tottenham and Brighton.

Four months on, the Blues have turned the ship and are in pole position to contest for a fifth Premier League title in six seasons, having marked their final fixture of 2025 at the weekend with a hard-fought 2-1 win away at Nottingham Forest to keep up the pressure on Premier League leaders Arsenal – and extend their winning streak to eight games.

Speaking in a press conference after Saturday’s win in the east Midlands, Guardiola looked back at City’s start to the season and his early assessment of his side’s chances of finishing the season with silverware.

On what was going through his mind at Brighton, Guardiola said: “Still, we were in that time, knowing a little bit players the best way to suit to play. Sometimes you need time. And talk with the players, saying the way we press here, we’re not comfortable, and Erling (Haaland) is not good to go in half spaces, or it’s too risky, or whatever. Sometimes you need (that).

“Managers are not magicians to say, ‘Okay we’re going to do it and everything is click’. Sometimes you have to win. For example, first-half, with Matheus (Nunes) in the right back, look at Savio. Savio arrived five, six times. I adore Savio. Savio takes the ball, loses the first ball, second, third and fourth, and arrives in the byline in the first-half.

“Sometimes you have to discover the way to play the team. We have just one winger now, the other ones are injured. So you have to adapt the way. I didn’t expect Nico O’Reilly to make this performance like he’s performing, right? So always you need sometimes to realise yourself as well.

“So, we proved that, but it doesn’t work, oh we have to change a little bit, a little bit, because new players, and the opponents always face us in different ways. So, that’s why sometimes you need time. And winning helps to advance this process, to reduce the timing to be a better team, a better team.”

Guardiola labelled the 2024-25 season as the most difficult term of his managerial career as Manchester City managed a third-place Premier League finish with a meagre 71 points, crashed out of the UEFA Champions League at the Round of 16 stage and lost the 2025 FA Cup final to Crystal Palace.

On whether a lack of energy last season extended to him personally, Guardiola added: “The first! Did you last season, how many times you see me here in front, judging or criticising the players or the club? Tell me. I could, I have a big number in my career as a manager.

“How many? Never, ever. So, because it’s not about you or you or you. It was something in the fog of Manchester, surrounding our training centre that we missed it.”

The Catalan was further pressed on how he rediscovers that energy himself to lead from the front. “Yeah, everything (physical or mental). The same details. It’s not a switch on, switch off about that. But it’s about the results help, and about the mythology, and Pep Lijnders and James (French) and Kolo Toure and new players,” Guardiola said.

“I want to help them, you know, when you have seven or eight players with the same players at the end, ‘Ah Pep is tired, new players. How is this guy? How are their guys?’ You know, these kind of things. And try and analyse. It’s not going well against the Spurs, why it happened.

“Now it’s go to a lot of man-markings. The energy comes from there, especially, let me be clear and honest, when you win games, the energy is more there.”

Manchester City lost two of their opening trio of Premier League games this season but have since turned a corner to look the part in recent months, establishing themselves as a firm contender for the Premier League title.

On whether he has that energy back, Guardiola added: “Today I managed to! I came (back) overweight from the Christmas time. But today I lost it again. So I’m fit again. It was a nightmare. And you understand me – it was a really, really tough, tough, tough game.

“The opponents, I just congratulate (them). I was thinking in the 70th minute, 75th, if we draw, we lose; congratulations (Nottingham) Forest because they deserve it. The way, the passion they play with is the Premier League.”

Manchester City face a tricky test away at fixer-uppers Sunderland on New Year’s Day and Guardiola will be hoping to enter the game with the confirmation of Antoine Semenyo’s expected arrival from Bournemouth this week.