'It's come to an end' - Pep Guardiola sack verdict after 'token gesture'

Pep Guardiola has brought glory to Manchester City for the best part of a decade, but Dietmar Hamann believes that the Spaniard's best years are behind him and that he'll struggle to see another title

Dietmar Hamann does not see Pep Guardiola winning another major title with Manchester City.

The Spanish mastermind has been part of the furniture at the Etihad Stadium for the last nine years, winning six Premier League titles, two FA Cups, a quartet of League Cups and a Champions League. But his remaining time in the north west has been the subject of speculation in recent times, even though he only signed a new two-year contract last November.

City finished an uninspiring third in the Premier League standings last time, were knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid 6-3 on aggregate in the knockout phase play-offs, suffered defeat in the round of 16 of the League Cup to Tottenham Hotspur, and lost the FA Cup final to Crystal Palace.

The summer's Club World Cup stateside also proved far from fruitful for the Cityzens, who were sent packing from the competition by Al-Hilal in the round of 16. And former Sky Blues star Hamann believes that Guardiola's wonder years with the club are over.

Speaking exclusively to the MEN via Grosvenor Casinos, the 52-year-old said: "Well, I think everything comes to an end. And we've seen [Jurgen] Klopp left the club [Liverpool], I think, after eight years or something. And he said it's been very testing and he needs a break.

"Now, Guardiola is there at least one or two seasons longer, or has been there, than Klopp. And it's a very testing job. You've got so many commitments. It's not just the football, it's the press commitments, it's the travelling.

"It just takes it out of you. And I just feel, and I felt that way last season…I was very surprised that he was still in charge come the end of the season. They certainly, or they probably won't sack him because he's done so many great things. And obviously [Txiki] Begiristain and all the Barcelona guys are in charge of Manchester City. Everything comes to an end.

"And I feel that with City, it has come to an end. I know Guardiola is still there. I can't see him – and I said it in the summer before the season started – I can't see him winning a big title at City again, meaning the Premier League or the Champions League. You can always win a League cup or a Cup, you only need to win six or seven games.

"I can't see him winning the Premier League or the Champions League. And I think his time will come to an end at some stage rather sooner than later, because I just feel that when you get new players in and a new season starts, you've got to galvanise the team and you've got to light a fire and say, ‘Come on, lads, if Slot did last season, this is our year. This is what we're going to do. We take the fans with us and then we show them what we're made of.’

"Now, if you hear the same voice, and there's players there who've been there for seven, eight, nine years, I think it's very hard to bring out the fire in the players and also the fans. And I think this is the way they play. It's all a bit lacklustre. So I think this is where, you can't say it went wrong, I just feel that Guardiola probably stayed one or two seasons too long."

Despite falling short last season, Guardiola signed a contract extension which will keep him at the Etihad Stadium until at least the summer of 2027. But Hamann believes that it was simply a "token" gesture to keep spirits high in Manchester.

He explained: " Well, they extended their contract last season, I think, when they went 10 or 12 games unbeaten. And I think it was just a token gesture to keep everybody calm and shut everybody up because, obviously, they've been told how long he's there. I'd be surprised if he was there for another two seasons, put it this way."

Guardiola has seen a mixed bag of results from his opening three Premier League games of the current campaign, with City sitting 13th in the standings as a result. Their season kicked off with a 4-0 victory over Wolves on the opening day, before a 2-0 loss at the hands of Thomas Frank's revitalised Spurs and a narrow 2-1 defeat to Brighton provided plenty of food for thought leading up to the international break.

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