{"id":18290,"date":"2024-11-22T16:13:40","date_gmt":"2024-11-22T16:13:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/?p=18290"},"modified":"2024-11-22T16:13:40","modified_gmt":"2024-11-22T16:13:40","slug":"i-will-be-here-guardiolas-relegation-promise-to-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/?p=18290","title":{"rendered":"'I will be here' – Guardiola's relegation promise to City"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Guardiola was in an expressive mood as he spoke to the media for over 25 minutes.<\/p>\n

In embracing the fact City are currently on a four-match losing streak for the first time since he arrived at the club in 2016, Guardiola repeatedly mentioned he had also won an unprecedented four league titles in a row. <\/p>\n

“Two sides of the same coin,” is how he described it.<\/p>\n

He also rattled through his extensive injury problems, adding midfielder Mateo Kovacic to the list of those not available for the visit of Ange Postecoglou\u2019s side, but confirmed central defensive trio John Stones, Manuel Akanji and Nathan Ake may well be fit.<\/p>\n

Ballon D\u2019Or winner Rodri, one of those whose absence is most keenly felt, will be at the Etihad Stadium tomorrow, although his involvement will be limited to saying a few hellos as he continues his recovery from knee surgery.<\/p>\n

But the most interesting conversation was around Guardiola’s contract.<\/p>\n

It was widely reported earlier in the week he had agreed a one-year contract extension, with the belief any additional season would be added as \u2018an option\u2019.<\/p>\n

There did seem something convenient about his explanation for why the agreement covers two seasons<\/a> rather than one, in negotiations Guardiola says were concluded in two hours.<\/p>\n

“For the weather!” he said initially, before offering a serious response: “It’s a good question. Mainly I don’t want next season in September, October, November to be [about] ‘Pep, will he extend again?’. I don’t want to be in that position.<\/p>\n

“In the end, the contract is there. I would like to stay two more years but I know if the results are not good I will not stay for two more years. <\/p>\n

“We have legendary players here in the team but if we don’t perform our fans and chairman will ask what is going on and you have to change. Everyone is under pressure. I have the contract but maybe in a month I am not here.”<\/p>\n

That is impossible to imagine, even in the unlikely event City’s losing streak continues.<\/p>\n

Deep down, Guardiola knows it – and chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak knows it too.<\/p>\n

“In just two hours, we did it,” said Guardiola.<\/p>\n

“Maybe I am arrogant, but I think we deserve to continue for what we have done in the last years.”<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

Source: <\/em> www.bbc.com\u2026<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Guardiola was in an expressive mood as he spoke to the media for over 25 minutes. In embracing the fact City are currently on a four-match losing streak for the first time since he arrived at the club in 2016, Guardiola repeatedly mentioned he had also won an unprecedented four league titles in a row. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-18290","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18290","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=18290"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/18290\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=18290"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=18290"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gpt.m2mbeta.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=18290"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}