“It’s been very healthy” – Pep Guardiola reflects positively on ‘sacked in the morning’ chants | OneFootball

Chants relentlessly aimed at Pep Guardiola during the toughest period of last season have ultimately been seen as a positive by the Manchester City manager.

While the 2024/25 campaign may have fallen well short of City’s exceptionally high standards, particularly following the club’s historic treble success and fourth Premier League title in a row, Pep Guardiola has taken a reflective and philosophical stance on both his own performance and the criticism that came with it.

For a club accustomed to winning almost everything on offer, the shift in fortunes last season sparked criticism not just from pundits and media outlets, but also through the voice of opposition fans up and down the country.

Pep Guardiola’s position came under public scrutiny as Manchester City struggled for form through the winter period in particular, prompting chants from rival supporters suggesting that his time at the Etihad Stadium could be nearing its end.

But the 54-year-old has now addressed those comments directly, with his response underlining the mental resilience and humility that has made him one of the most admired figures in modern football.

Speaking during a new interview with GQ Spain, Pep Guardiola has admitted that City’s decline during the course of last season was a natural knock-on effect of their unrelenting dominance at the summit of the English game for so long.

“I don’t think I’d attribute it so much to last year, but rather to the last seven years. When you win six Premier Leagues, there comes a time when you go downhill. It’s human nature. Back then, we probably should have moved more players, but it’s very easy to say that after the fact,” admitted Guardiola.

“It’s a process that had to be experienced, which happens, which took longer to happen, and when it happened, it went deeper than we could have imagined. Not deep in the sense of ending badly, because in the end, we reached the FA Cup final and finished third, not 12,” he continued.

“It hasn’t gone so badly. In retrospect, we’ll see that it hasn’t been such a bad season. But we have gone for many months without winning games. We’ve gone like 13 or 14 without winning, and that was… It had never happened before. But it puts you in your place.”

The 54-year-old went on to say, “Speaking on behalf of Manchester City, it’s been very healthy for us to see it happen. Because success confuses you. It hasn’t confused us for many years, but this year, players have been getting injured a lot. And you ask yourself: Why have they been getting injured so much when they didn’t get injured before?

“Because the focus is no longer on what you have to do. When the focus is no longer on doing what you have to do, you get injured more. And you think: We’ll recover, we’ll come back… But the opponent is waiting for you. Why? Because you won a lot.

“And winning annoys those who don’t win and wait for you. And that’s what happened. But I think it will be very good for the next five or ten years.”

But what about the chants aimed at him throughout the course of City’s hugely problematic November and December period last campaign? Pep Guardiola looks at those moments with positivity now.

“I’ve been in every away stadium for four or five months this year with the crowd shouting, ‘You’ll be sacked in the morning.’ I mean, they’re going to throw you out. There’s no profession – architect, teacher, doctor, journalist – that 60,000 people would ask to lose their jobs,” said Guardiola.

“They want you to lose your jobs. But our profession is so well-paid, they pay us so much money, that we can accept this. And if you don’t want it, you go do another job. I have a friend, a writer friend, who always tells me, ‘I wish my books could be criticised, destroyed, like you do when you lose, because it would mean a lot of people reading me.’ And it’s true.

“How many painters wish their works were seen by millions and millions of people, as our work is?”

While Pep Guardiola has reaffirmed his commitment to City until the end of his current contract in 2027, the deeper reflection on last season’s challenges – both personal and professional – could shape how the club approaches the campaign ahead.

Tactical adjustments, refreshed squad dynamics, and a psychological reset may be key in reclaiming domestic and European superiority. Manchester City have already begun strengthening their ranks this summer, including the arrival of former goalkeeper James Trafford in a British record deal for his position, with more deals and exits anticipated.

Pep Guardiola’s own self-awareness and openness about his profession’s pressures could serve as a reminder that even the most dominant of dynasties must confront adversity head-on.

The road to redemption starts in pre-season, but Pep Guardiola’s latest comments suggest he already has his eyes set firmly on the long-term future – not just for himself, but for the continued evolution of Manchester City.