Pep Guardiola has made it clear that he has no intention of leaving Manchester City, despite the club’s ongoing struggles this season. As the Premier League champions prepare for a crucial trip to Leicester City this Sunday, Guardiola is determined to help the team fight for a place in next season’s Champions League.
City has been far from their best lately, taking only five points from their last nine league games, which has left them six points behind the top four. On top of this, they’re battling a serious injury crisis, with several key players unavailable for the Leicester match. Only three senior defenders are currently fit to play, and some of their biggest stars are struggling with fitness.
Guardiola’s plans have been disrupted, with Nathan Ake, who was subbed off during the 1-1 draw against Everton, a doubt for Leicester. Kyle Walker is also battling an illness, and defenders Ruben Dias and John Stones, along with goalkeeper Ederson, are all sidelined. It’s been a tough run, but Guardiola insists he will keep pushing forward.
“I will keep going,” he said when asked if he planned to quit. “Sometimes you think it will be easier to fix it, but it takes time. I will not give up. I want to be here, I want to do it, and with the situation we have, I have to do it.”
Guardiola acknowledged that Leicester will be a difficult opponent, as it always has been. But he’s determined to do what he can with the squad available. “Now we go to Leicester, a place it has always been difficult to get good results,” he said. “With the players we have available, that’s what I will try.”
This tough patch represents one of the biggest tests of Guardiola’s long and successful reign at City. “The biggest test is to come back again,” he explained. “That has already happened, we’ve done that before. But this makes you realize how good the past was.”
Despite everything, Guardiola sees signs of good team spirit. “I saw the team spirit [against Everton], how we trained, how focused they are,” he said. “Unfortunately, we couldn’t get the result, but I don’t want to disappoint the fans or the people who love this place.”
Regarding Erling Haaland’s missed penalty against Everton, which proved costly in the 1-1 draw, Guardiola said there was no need to single him out.
Haaland, who has struggled in recent games, scoring just once in his last seven league outings, didn’t receive any extra criticism from his manager.
“No, I congratulated the team. I said ‘well played,’” Guardiola said. “The only chance is to continue. It’s happened, it’s life, it’s football, so let’s try it again.”
For Guardiola, the focus is on improving results, no matter the challenges. “We will try again and again and again,” he said. “That’s why we’ve won so many titles – because we kept winning, winning, winning. Now, we have to do the same. The results aren’t good, but we’ll keep going.”
