We asked our fan writers from arguably Manchester City’s three biggest rivals currently – Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool – to offer their thoughts on the news that Pep Guardiola has agreed a new deal to stay with the Premier League champions.
Jordan Chamberlain, Liverpool fan
It was not the best news to wake up to from a Liverpool perspective. A few years back, Pep extended during the international break in November and it revitalised Manchester City and propelled them to the Premier League title. This happening again is obviously the worry.
Guardiola is the best manager in the world. He has been for some time. It is a lazy myth that he has only won so much because he has been at a club who have spent loads of money. If that was the case, why have Manchester United not done anything of note in the past decade? Why are Chelsea not automatically title contenders? He is a ruthlessly brilliant tactician and someone who is utterly obsessed with winning.
Over the years, his teams were always a little ahead of Jurgen Klopp’s. The German often beat City in one-off games, but over the course of the season, Guardiola came out on top. Klopp lost the title on 97 and 94 points, remember.
Arne Slot, though, has come into Liverpool and hardly put a foot wrong. He is maximising the talent at his disposal and I would say, perhaps controversially, that Liverpool currently have better players than City – from back to front.
Their first ever meeting is coming up next weekend and it could be symbolic, given a Liverpool win could see Guardiola eight points behind Slot, providing both sides win on their return from the international break.
Alex Turk, Manchester United fan
Ruben Amorim has naturally dominated the headlines regarding a manager in Manchester this week. But an anomalous spike momentarily diverted the discussion on Tuesday.
Manchester City’s all-conquering boss is there to stay. At least for one more season after this one.
It is a little annoying, isn’t it? But should Manchester United fans be bothered? I don’t think so.
Arne Slot’s almost flawless start at Liverpool has disappointed many an Old Trafford regular hoping for a post-Jurgen Klopp fall-off in the ilk of an all too familiar decline after the days of Sir Alex Ferguson.
It has also served as a reminder that Guardiola leaving City does not automatically mean the same, although there would be an air of vulnerability at Etihad Stadium.
The painful truth is that City are an expertly run club – 115 charges pending – and that is why, despite Txiki Begiristain’s impending exit, the Catalan coach is staying put.
So, with that in mind, United must focus on themselves. Amorim’s arrival has sparked a wave of optimism and rightly so.
It has been a painful decade. City and Liverpool battling for the Premier League while United scrap for a European spot is now the norm.
So the most important thing is to back Amorim and Ineos’ efforts in preparing to pounce when Guardiola eventually does call it quits.
Pep Guardiola extending his stay at Manchester City led to a shrugged-shoulder reaction from myself and many Arsenal fans.
There is still the underlying expectation (perhaps more hope) that City will be punished for their alleged wrongdoings and subsequently heavily penalised, maybe even relegated.
I am sure Guardiola has some sort of break clause if that were to happen, so for me, the future of Guardiola and Manchester City is more dependent on the outcome of the charges being pursued against them, charges they are indeed fighting.
I wonder if this contract extension was announced now to provide a deflated City side an early-season boost rather than any real longer-term commitment.
In terms of how it affects Arsenal this season, I think we have got our own issues to sort out rather than spending too much time thinking about other clubs’ affairs. And right now, it is Liverpool that Mikel Arteta needs to catch.
Arsenal must ensure they are there to capitalise if Manchester City are not at their 90+ point best for whatever reason, otherwise they will have only themselves to blame.
