Standing inside the white lines of the Amex Stadium, a big decision noodled around Pep Guardiola’s head. Manchester City had arrived at Brighton in a bleak November 2024 having lost three consecutive matches for the first time in six years. Throughout his long and illustrious career, from Barcelona to Bayern Munich and then on to City, the great man had never presided over four.
A coach wedded to routine and his own traditions, Guardiola broke both of those as a depleted squad went out to warm up. Usually he’d slump in the dugout with a thousand-yard stare pre-match before wandering inside. But here, Guardiola instead paced up and down, watching this particular set of drills like a primate might observe its prey.
His gaze focused intently on his players. He was looking for any sign of fight or life – or indeed the complete opposite. Prowling with frustration at his side’s form but also to notice body language, to see if there was still something to work with here. Guardiola has always said that he’s happy if the players are giving him enough. A warm-up can provide real indicators to that. This one more than most, given the circumstances.
He had decided that 2024-25 would be his last season in England. Indeed the idea had become an open secret among the City hierarchy. Towards the end of the previous campaign, director of football Txiki Begiristain had made it plain to relevant parties that a passing of the torch was coming.
Yet recent weeks and defeats had thrown that into doubt as Guardiola grappled with the choices that now lay before him, never clearer than watching his players with light menace down on the south coast. Once the proper stuff started, Erling Haaland gave City a lead that was thrown away late on. Brighton went on to win 2-1.
Pep Guardiola had decided that 2024-25 would be his last season in England. Indeed the idea had become an open secret among the City hierarchy
Guardiola grappled with the choices that now lay before him, never clearer than watching his players with light menace down on the south coast during a 2-1 defeat by Brighton
Guardiola remained defiant after – ‘I won’t step back, more than ever I want to do it’ – and rationalised that surgery was required. This was the moment when his mind turned to look at a new future, a new City team – one that is now about to be passed into the hands of his successor Enzo Maresca.
He went to the Middle East on holiday a day later, meeting chairman Khaldoon Al…