Pep Guardiola has insisted he does not fear the sack if Manchester City lose to Real Madrid in the Champions League by saying he won’t be ditched by the club.
The City manager, who signed a new, two-year contract in November, said doctors, architects and teachers wouldn’t be asked if their jobs are under threat in different times.
City have lost 11 of their last 23 games, and finished only 22nd in the Champions League league phase, meaning they face a two-legged play-off against the 15-times winners Madrid, beginning at the Etihad Stadium on Tuesday evening.
But Guardiola, a three-time Champions League winner himself, is not concerned City will fire him, saying: “No. I don’t know if a doctor is asked to [answer] the question, or if an architect is asked the question, or if a teacher is asked the question.
“I know that in all the stadiums, they tell me that I’m going to be kicked out the next day, [sacked] in the morning, when we’re losing. But no, I don’t have this feeling. I’m obviously here, and I still have the position, because of what we’ve won in recent years. Otherwise, I probably wouldn’t be here.”
Guardiola admitted he isn’t sure which City team will turn up when the game kicks off, saying they used to be an “incredible machine” but are not any more.
He added: “Of course it would be good to continue for the club, for the prestige to win this competition. I like to feel that we are week by week, month by month, we are there. Now I would feel, yeah, the team is consistent, we can do it. Now it’s like, I don’t know. I know the game plan tomorrow, I know the way we want to play. I still have doubts for the selection, because I have still injuries and people come back. But at the same time, always in this type of draws and competitions I’m so optimistic and calm. We’ll see what happens.
“You never know before the game what’s going to happen, how they react. But always you have a feeling with the players that the players are always there. Now we have a lot of injuries, players are a little bit up and down.
“We are not being consistent. What defined that team in the last decade is we are an incredible machine every three days. So otherwise we cannot win six Premier Leagues in seven years and do the incredible trophies that we want. And after we can win, lose because the opponents are good, but we are not being consistent.”
