Pep Guardiola 'feared he was going to be sacked by Man City' reveals former aide

Pep Guardiola was left ‘extremely worried’ that he was going to be sacked by Manchester City during his first season at the club, his former aide has revealed. The 53-year-old ventured into English football eight years ago following trophy-laden spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.

Guardiola arrived at the Etihad Stadium to replace Manuel Pellegrini and was expected to deliver immediate success given his managerial pedigree. Things did not go to plan straight away, though, with a run of six winless games leaving Guardiola fearing the sack.

A draw at Celtic in the Champions League was followed up by a chastening defeat to Tottenham and another frustrating draw at Everton. City then slumped to a 4-1 defeat at the hands of Barcelona before a home draw with Southampton and a painful loss to Manchester United.

Marti Perarnau, who served as Guardiola’s trusted confidant, has revealed in a new book that he was seriously worried about being axed for the first time in his managerial career. At the time, City were about to face Barcelona again and Guardiola was fearing the worst.

“Pep’s extremely worried,” wrote Perarnau in an extract carried by the Daily Mail. “He’s concerned the club might sack him if his team lose badly to Barcelona. It would be his first dismissal. Ever. I’ve never seen Pep in such a tight spot before.

“An all-or-nothing clash. The coach instinctively believes that another defeat could mean the end of his role in the City project.”

Guardiola ended up masterminding City to an emphatic 3-1 triumph over Barcelona despite going behind early on. Lionel Messi opened the scoring for the Catalan giants but a brace from Ilkay Gundogan and a goal from Kevin De Bruyne saw City claim a much-needed victory.

The result did little to ease Guardiola’s concerns, though, with Perarnau revealing that he was still worried about losing his job until City confirmed their place in the Champions League knockout stages.

“The penultimate group game, at Borussia Monchengladbach, is just around the corner,” recalled Perarnau. “City will get the draw they need to go through. Pep will be able to stop worrying and start sleeping again.

“Or so he thinks. ‘These past few months have been a complete nightmare. I’ve been a nervous wreck,’ Pep says. His face is expressionless. As if almost gagging, his hand to his chest, the words rush out. ‘It’s been total torture ever since Glasgow.’

“It’s only then, having got it out, that he picks up his wine glass. He’s liberated the demons that have harried him since September and the start of the Champions League group phase. Nerves and worry initially, anguish and torture as the weeks passed.

“Two months haunted by a level of anxiety that no one except his family was properly aware of. A gnawing feeling of disquiet that made him sick to the stomach. They’ve only managed a draw but, right now, on this cold November night in Germany, it’s a huge relief for Pep.”