👀 Pep jokes about City sacking, to ponder future in break | OneFootball

Guardiola and City were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League by Real Madrid for the third consecutive year on Tuesday night.

Two goals from Vinícius Jr. helped the Merengues extend their first-leg advantage and seal a 5-1 aggregate victory in the round of 16.

In an interview after the match, Guardiola joked about the possibility of leaving Manchester City with just one Champions League title.

“Ah, everyone wants to fire me, right?! My God, folks! One day I'll come here and say: ‘Goodbye, everyone,'" said the coach.

With a contract until the end of the 2026/27 season, the Catalan coach could leave Manchester City before the end of the current term.

According to information from the Daily Mail, Pep will think about his future during the FIFA break, after the Carabao Cup final this Sunday (22), against Arsenal at Wembley. Read more below.

Despite the setback in Europe, the Citizens remain in contention for three trophies in their first full season under the management of director of football Hugo Viana, who has made significant changes to the squad since replacing Txiki Begiristain in 2025.

Currently, City is nine points behind Arsenal in the Premier League table.

Even with a game in hand over the Gunners, the team's recent form does not inspire much confidence among fans that it will be possible to prevent what seems to be the first league title for the north London team in 22 years.

End of an era?

Jack Gaughan from the Daily Mail reported that Guardiola will use the break after this weekend's final to reflect on his stay.

With the FIFA break, City will have two weeks off before returning to the field against Liverpool in the FA Cup quarter-finals on April 4.

Interestingly, Guardiola will not be on the bench for this game, as he will be serving the last of his two-match suspension.

Although he has a contract until the end of the 2026/27 season, Guardiola has been the subject of strong rumors about a departure from the Etihad Stadium as early as this European summer.

The City board has reportedly accepted that he is unlikely to renew beyond 2027 and has therefore already drawn up a shortlist of five candidates to replace him.

Despite the constant speculation, the 55-year-old Catalan coach maintains that he is focused on improving City's new squad, working with the young and hungry players that Hugo Viana has brought in over the past 12 months.

A definitive decision is not expected before the end of the season, while the team is still fighting for league and domestic cup titles.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.

📸 PAUL ELLIS - AFP or licensors