Pep Guardiola confronted a heartbreaking end to Manchester City’s title bid on Tuesday but deflected questions again about his future, saying no decision had been made while warning it would be the wrong moment to make such an announcement.
City’s 1-1 draw at Bournemouth on Tuesday extinguished their Premier League challenge in deflating fashion, a late leveller from Erling Haaland arriving too late to keep alive the race and turning Sunday’s finale against Aston Villa into little more than perhaps an emotional send-off for Guardiola.
Speculation over his future has only heightened the sense of an era drawing to a close, but Guardiola again refused to be drawn on whether he will step away this summer.
“I could say I have one more year of contract and with conversations I have had for many, many years always from my experience, when you announce whatever you announce during the competition is a bad, bad result,” Guardiola told Sky Sports.
“Like you understand the first person I have to talk to is my chairman because we decided when we finish the season we will sit and we will talk. Simple as that. And after we will take the decision.
“Listen, I have one more year contract, I will not tell you here because I have to talk to my chairman, my players, my staff. When we play for the FA Cup, before we qualify for the Champions League, we play for the Premier League, there is just one thing in my mind and the focus is try to win the team to the highest points and we have done.”
Tuesday’s draw was a frustrating result in a season in which City pushed hard down the stretch, only to fall short at the penultimate hurdle.
It also ended City’s dreams of a domestic treble after they had already hoisted the League Cup and FA Cup trophies, the latter just three days earlier.
Guardiola said the gruelling schedule of three games in six days showed in his players on Tuesday, particularly in the second half.
“(We played) three days, three days, three days,” he said. “Of course, it has happened. It is what it is.
“The players gave everything all the season, fighting difficult circumstances until the end. We were close.”
Source: Khaleej Times