Pep Guardiola returns to Wembley to play in his fourth consecutive FA Cup final this Saturday with Chelsea, and the familiarity inspired by the legendary stadium reminds him that time is slipping through his fingers. Whether he fulfills his contract as City’s coach until 2027 or decides to break it in the coming days to start a new chapter, his professional work is a tangible monument that will accompany him forever, especially when he walks through the halls of Wembley. “I’m disappointed,” he joked at the pre-final press conference, “because they still haven’t named a stand after Pep. At least, they could have named a lounge, or a box after me!”
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The most influential and decorated Spanish coach of all time faces what could be his last week in charge of Manchester City. About to complete ten seasons in England, pondering a future he apparently has not decided, Guardiola returns to Wembley after 26 visits, and the sanctuary brings back memories impossible to erase. There he played his first Champions League final with Barcelona, the one he lifted with the Dream Team in 1992. There he won his second Champions League as Barcelona’s coach, in 2011. He led City to Wembley on 23 previous occasions to play semifinals and finals with results unmatched by anyone except Alex Ferguson: six League Cups, four Community Shields, and three FA Cups, the latter with the aura of the oldest trophy in football. A living relic that every year draws hundreds of thousands of English fans to a chimera that City supporters know very well. Under Guardiola’s guidance, they have become the fanbase that has made the most trips to the stadium on the outskirts of London since 2016. Jokingly, the citizen fans have nicknamed Wembley Etihad South.
The mood oscillates between melancholy and frenzy within the City delegation. Signs accumulate pointing to Guardiola’s departure, just as signals emerge that strengthen his position on the blue bench. Guardiola repeats it, and his friends confirm it, that he is living a happy time in Manchester. Probably the most harmonious of his career. The chronic tension with which he conducted his work in past years has dissipated, and his relationship with the players is more affectionate than ever. But the English press has reported that City is making contingency plans in case the boss decides to terminate the contract. Enzo Maresca tops the list of possible successors as announcements of disengagement follow one another. This week The Athletic published that two of Guardiola’s most loyal assistants will leave the club in June.
Xabi Mancisidor, the goalkeeping coach, and Lorenzo Buenaventura, City’s fitness coach, an omnipresent figure in Guardiola’s career since he coached Barça, will leave the Manchester club at the end of the season. Asked about this on Friday, Guardiola quickly moved on. “I extend their contracts for three more years,” he replied, with an enigmatic smile.
City stands on the threshold of a decisive week. After winning the League Cup, the team faces a formidable Chelsea to try to add the FA Cup. No chance for celebration in case of victory, as Arsenal’s pursuit in the Premier’s final stretch points to two dates of maximum tension: next Wednesday awaits Iraola’s Bournemouth, probably the most in-form team in England, and Sunday the 24th, the last matchday, Emery’s Aston Villa at the Etihad.
Huge absences, inexperienced replacements
“The season has been really good; I said it a week ago and it still is,” Guardiola recalled this Friday, to an audience eager to discover the mysteries hidden by this 55-year-old man who, against all odds, rebuilt an exhausted project to once again make City a team qualified to fight for the most important titles. Reaching this point without Rodri or Stones, long-term injured, and after the departure of Julián Álvarez, Mahrez, Walker, Gündogan, and De Bruyne, essential pillars in the emotional consolidation of the 2023 Champions champion, has been a management feat. Especially in light of the replacements. Getting to this point with the signings and additions City made in the last three years, all players without maturity or hardly any experience at the highest level, is an unprecedented achievement in the Catalan coach’s career.
By guiding and pushing them to get used to responding under pressure, without giving them excuses for mental rest, the youngsters have consolidated. The growth of Nunes, Guéhi, Khusanov, Marmoush, Nico González, O’Reilly, Cherki, and the fabulous Doku has been the result of the coach’s daily work, with invaluable help from Bernardo Silva, who is always available, and Rodri, who is recovering with ups and downs from the knee injury he suffered almost two years ago. “Rodri has traveled with us,” said Guardiola, “then we’ll see if he plays.”
After 14 matches unbeaten, the FA Cup final will leave another mark on Pep Guardiola’s career. Regardless of the result. The mark of the coach’s 26th visit to Wembley recalls the consistency of his trajectory. His teams have never finished a season below the top 3. For a decade, City has never stopped winning trophies in the most demanding competitive environment in Europe.
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