(Credit: Getty Images)

Ben Palmer

Tue 8 April 2025 19:10, UK

Man City have been encouraged to invite Pep Guardiola to resign with the club “a shadow of what they once were”.

Following the Sky Blues’ 0-0 draw with city-rivals, Man United, the reigning Premier League champions are now 21 points behind league-leaders Liverpool.

What’s more, following Newcastle’s 3-0 dismantling of Leicester on Monday night (7 April), City find themselves in sixth and are at risk of missing out on qualifying for the Champions League for next season.

With the club staring down the barrel of their worst league finish since the 2009/10 season when they ended up fifth, and out of all knock-out competitions barring the FA Cup, beIN Sports anchor Richard Keys has encouraged the Sky Blues to “go in a different direction”, in his blog.

Pep Guardiola ‘asleep at the wheel’ as Man City falter again

Writing on Monday (7 April), Keys highlighted the Sky Blues’ failure to keep the squad fresh after winning four successive Premier League titles, insisting that Guardiola is not the man to rebuild a new, fresh City team, and instead should be offered the opportunity to resign, saying:

“It was months ago I called City’s demise. Guardiola fell asleep at the wheel celebrating that fourth successive title. He should’ve ripped his team apart after the third. They’re a shadow of what they once were.

“If I was in charge at City I’d invite him to announce his resignation. They need to go in a different direction now. They need fresh blood, a new start and I don’t think he’s the man to deliver it.

“Apart from his usual post match appearance on the pitch looking for cameras, I thought he looked totally disinterested yesterday. Perhaps he was just bored like the rest of us – but I’m afraid the football he’s convinced most judges is ‘the right way to play’ can be deadly dull.”

Man City struggling to adapt to new Premier League playstyle

Football Insider Verdict

There is an argument to be made that no one manager has had a more impactful effect on the way football is played in England than Guardiola.

Whilst Alex Ferguson, Arsene Wenger, or Jose Mourinho would be the immediate alternatives that spring to mind, the Spaniard has set the tone for how football is played in the Premier League for nearly a decade now.

However, after watching all those who tried to match his possession-based style of football fail to beat him, Guardiola and City are now being forced to contend with no longer being the trendsetters they once were.

Teams like Bournemouth, Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa are reverting to a more contemporary style of football, based around quick, direct wingers with an out-and-out poacher ready to finish fast counter-attacks, and technical number 10’s to help facilitate the ball from front-to-back.

As a consequence, City are now trying to adapt to that style, with little success so far, casting doubts on Guardiola‘s tactical proficiency for the first time in his career.

It remains to be seen whether the Catalan’s position is actually uncertain but in the space of 12 months the matter has gone from one where he surely had the job for as long as he wanted it, to one where it is no longer out of the question that it might be taken out of his hands.