Former Barcelona and Arsenal midfielder Emmanuel Petit think the Spaniard might opt to take a rest from management.
Pep Guardiola could walk away from Manchester City if their two-season Champions League ban is maintained, according to Emmanuel Petit.
Guardiola is widely admired as one of the best managers in world soccer, having enjoyed unprecedented success during spells at Barcelona and Bayern Munich.
He headed the Blaugrana to two European Cups and three La Liga games, before masterminding three successive Bundesliga triumphs in Bayern.
The Spanish tactician abandoned Allianz Arena in 2016 to take up a new challenge in England with City and has managed to add another seven significant trophies to his remarkable collection.
City have won back to back Premier League crowns under Guardiola’s stewardship and set impressive new standards of excellence concerning points attained and goals scored.
They were on course for more glory heading into the business end of the 2019-20 effort, but all fixtures have been postponed indefinitely amid the coronavirus pandemic currently sweeping the planet.
Guardiola’s guys are on the brink of reaching the Champions League quarter-finals in Real Madrid’s cost, and it might be their last opportunity to win an elusive piece of silverware for a while on account of their latest suspension from European competition.
The team has appealed UEFA’s ruling amid allegations of breaching financial fair play principles, with the last decision set to be made later in the year.
Petit, who played alongside Guardiola in Barcelona in the early 90s, considers his previous team-mate could take the”chance” to”step back” from training if City aren’t granted a reprieve from the court of arbitration for sport.
“I believe that could be an option for him,” the ex-France and Arsenal playmaker told Paddy Power. “It could be a chance for him to step back and have some rest. It wasn’t a very long time ago that he appeared clearly tired of being a manager.”
Petit also raised concerns over City’s ability to attract the world’s best players if they can’t offer Champions League soccer, insisting everything they’ve built”could be ending shortly”.
“You don’t know what might happen, but for me, the biggest worry isn’t what might happen if Guardiola leaves the club there will be an additional manager coming if he leaves — for me the future of City isn’t connected with Guardiola forever,” the 49-year-old added.
“For me, the main worry is what would happen to Manchester City if the ban remains on the table following the appeal. Everything that City has been doing for the past five, six, seven decades, concerning investment. Everything they’ve been building could be finishing shortly. It could change everything in the club. Top players wish to play in high competitions.”
