PEP GUARDIOLA SET TO LEAVE MANCHESTER CITY AFTER A DECADE OF DOMINANCE

Manchester City are preparing for one last game with Pep Guardiola on the touchline. After ten seasons that turned the club into the standard for English football, the manager is set to step down once the 2025-26 campaign finishes.

The news came right after City lifted the FA Cup with a 1-0 win over Chelsea at Wembley. That result, combined with the League Cup won earlier in March, gave Guardiola a domestic double in his final year. It also took his total haul with City to 20 major trophies, a run that reshaped what success looks like in the Premier League.

There’s one fixture left. City host Aston Villa at the Etihad on 24 May for the final day of the league season. They trail Arsenal by two points, so the title looks out of reach, but the game will be framed around saying goodbye. Reports say the club plans a parade through Manchester on Monday to celebrate the cup wins and give fans a moment with the squad.

What makes the departure stand out is how recent the commitment felt. Guardiola signed an extension in November 2024 that would have kept him in Manchester until 2027. He’s spoken in the past about needing a break when this job ended, mentioning he’d step away from football for a while rather than jump straight to another role. After the FA Cup final he avoided questions about his future, but the sense around the club is that the decision is made.

The impact he’s had goes beyond the trophy cabinet. When Guardiola arrived in 2016, City became a team defined by control, movement, and a relentless approach to pressing. Opponents spent more time trying to disrupt City’s rhythm than building their own attacks. That influence spread across the league, with coaches at every level adjusting how they set up to deal with it.

Enzo Maresca is being mentioned as the likely replacement. He worked under Guardiola before taking charge at Chelsea earlier this season, and City are said to have started laying the groundwork for the handover. An official announcement is expected after the Villa match.

For a generation of City supporters, Guardiola is the only manager they have  known at the top. His departure closes a period where winning became the expectation rather than the ambition. The football he built will remain in the club’s DNA, even as the man who shaped it walks away.