Pep Guardiola in for the Long Haul
On 19 November, Manchester City announced that manager Pep Guardiola had signed a two-year contract extension. The new deal means the Catalan will stay with the Mancunian club until the summer of 2023.
Pep Guardiola initially struggled during his first season in England, where Manchester City finished third in the 2016/17 English Premier League table. They were eliminated by French club Monaco in the UEFA Champions League’s Round of 16, Arsenal in the FA Cup Semi-finals, and Manchester United in the Carabao Cup’s Fourth Round. Based on these results, critics wondered if the Catalan would be able to apply his world-renowned tactics in England.
Manchester City regrouped after this difficult season, and they proved their doubters wrong. During the 2017/18 season, the Sky Blues defeated Arsenal in the Carabao Cup final, and the Sky Blues won the EPL title. City became the first club in English history to earn 100 points in a single, 38-match season. City’s gap between second-placed Manchester United was a massive 19 points, City earned 32 wins in the season, and they scored 106 goals in the EPL alone.
City then built on these successes in 2018/19. They would finish the season with 98 points and won the EPL title, retained the Carabao Cup, and added the FA Cup and Community Shield to their collection. The results meant that Manchester City became the first senior men’s team to win a domestic quadruple.
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2019/20 took a turn, and City’s form dipped. While they won the Community Shield and Carabao Cup, Manchester City would finish a massive 18 points behind league-winners Liverpool. City were eliminated by Arsenal in the FA Cup Semi-finals, and by French team Olympique Lyonnaise in the Champions League’s Quarter-finals. While the 2019/20 season had some positives, City realized they had to regroup and rebuild.
There is still a large portion of the 2020/21 season remaining, but things look good for the Mancunian club. City have achieved some remarkable feats under Guardiola. While the Sky Blues struggled last season, they will know that at least their seasoned manager will stay, thus eliminating any uncertainty in the immediate future. For now, it appears that the future will be bright for the men in blue.