Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says he has no regrets about signing his two-year contract extension.
The new deal was announced on 21 November, after his side had just lost four successive games.
The feeling was Guardiola’s commitment to 2027 would bring some stability to the club in a time of unprecedented difficulty.
But City have won just once since then, a 2-0 win against Nottingham Forest.
Their poor run has seen them beaten 4-0 at home by Tottenham, throw away a 3-0 lead to draw 3-3 with Feyenoord, lose 2-0 at Liverpool, held 2-2 by Crystal Palace and they faltered 2-0 at Juventus on Wednesday to leave their Champions League qualification hopes in doubt.
With just one win in their last 10 games in all competitions and a Manchester derby against United on Sunday, Guardiola admitted his sleep and diet are being affected by the worst run of results in his entire managerial career.
But the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss is adamant he does not wish for an exit option at the end of the current campaign.
“Absolutely not,” said Guardiola, when asked if he had any regrets over committing himself to City for what could turn out to be 11 years in total.
“I would not be able to sleep – even worse than now – if I thought I was leaving when the club is in this situation. Impossible.
“They might sack me, that could happen. But leaving now, in this position? No chance.”
It is clear the Spaniard feels a sense of loyalty to City’s Abu Dhabi ownership. That sentiment is reciprocated given Guardiola has delivered an astonishing 18 trophies since arriving at the club from Bayern in 2016.
Having delivered the coveted Champions League title as part of a historic Treble success in 2023, Guardiola admits his legacy is secure and there are no more major targets to drive him on.
But the 53-year-old still has immense drive and pride in doing his job to the best of his abilities.
And the immediate challenge is to re-establish City at the top end of the domestic and European game.
“What we have done, we have done,” added Guardiola. “The satisfaction to do it is done. It is accomplished. The way we have played, the numbers, everything. Always it will remain. But now, in this situation, I could not leave.
“There are many things we have to do; go into the market at the right moment, maybe in winter or maybe the other one, or the other one, to make the squad bigger, so they compete with each other to make the players better.
“Nothing is eternal. You have to be honest. If I am losing and losing and losing, more and more, in the end I say, ‘guys, you have to get someone else to fix this’.
“But I don’t feel that. I don’t know at [another] big club, if you play 10 games and lose seven if they have the confidence I have. But the club knows what we have done in the past and that the situation is exceptional for many reasons.”
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