Pep Guardiola grateful to be given 'second chance' at Manchester City
Tuesday 16 May 2017 11:39, UK
Pep Guardiola claims his first season at Manchester City would have earned him the sack at former clubs Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
The City boss accepts he has fallen below expectations since arriving at the Etihad Stadium last summer and must improve next term.
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City failed to mount a sustained Premier League title challenge and saw their campaign in the Champions League ended at the last-16 stage.
Having won 21 trophies across his spells at the Nou Camp and Allianz Arena, such a return is a relative disappointment and Guardiola believes his old employers would have had no hesitation in showing him the door.
He said: "(The) pressure I had when I arrived in Barcelona, when I had nothing to defend (myself with) - at that club, if in six months you don't win, you are really out.
"At Barcelona or Bayern Munich, there you have to win by far. If not, they don't give you a second chance.
"Here they gave me a second chance and we will try to do it. In my situation at a big club - I'm sacked, I'm out. Sure. Definitely.
"At the clubs I worked at before, I am not here, but here we have a second chance and we will try to do it better than this season."
Guardiola feels his past successes, which include two Champions League wins with Barcelona, can only protect him so far.
He said: "If what happens next season is not going well, I'll have one more year of contract, and if it's not going well they are going to change manager. I am not staying here because I am Pep or what I have done a long time ago."
City take on West Brom live on Sky Sports on Tuesday looking for three points to tighten their grip on a top-four position.
They could even secure Champions League qualification if Arsenal drop points against Sunderland on the same night, but the battle could go to the final weekend.
Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger has claimed 'some teams are on holiday' and expressed his hope that all teams continue to play competitively.
But Guardiola, whose side finish their campaign at Watford on Sunday, said: "I don't understand how the managers speak for the other clubs and the other teams.
"The people who are hired are focused in their teams - they do what they have to do. I never saw one player in my life go to the pitch and not try to win the game.
"He (Wenger) plays against Everton and Sunderland, no? Both teams are done, no? One is relegated and one is in the Europa League, so it's the same situation.
"So you don't want to complain. Do it better during the season and you will not have this problem."
