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sacks 'n the city

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola admits a big club like Barcelona or Bayern Munich would have sacked him

Etihad chief knows failure to win any trophies would not have been acceptable at his previous two teams

PEP GUARDIOLA  says he would have been axed by Barcelona and Bayern Munich if he had ended a season empty-handed.

Guardiola’s Manchester City still need one point from their last game at Watford on Sunday to be certain of a top-four spot.

Pep Guardiola admits this season has not been acceptable

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Pep Guardiola admits this season has not been acceptable

And the Etihad chief knows similar failure would not have been acceptable at his previous two clubs.


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Guardiola said: “In my situation at a big club, I’m sacked. I’m out, for sure. Definitely. At Barca or Bayern Munich, there you have to win by a lot.

“If not, they don’t give you a second chance. Here they gave me a  second chance and we will try to do better.

“Pressure is what I had when I arrived in Barcelona. At that club if in six months you don’t win, you are  out really.”

Guardiola will head to Abu Dhabi to meet with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak later this month for his annual appraisal.

He knows he will be in charge again next season but also accepts the heat will be on him.

Guardiola added: “I am not staying here because I am Pep or what I have done a long time ago.

“I have this expectation because of what I have done in the past.

“I have  tried to do my best. Some managers  have that pressure so I have to handle it.”

Pep Guardiola promoted the youngster to the first-team squad last summer

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Guardiola will end the season trophyless for the first time

Planning is  under way for next term with Guardiola and director of football Txiki Begiristain planning another spree.

He said: “I will try to do it with the club,  players, staff, chairman, with the sporting director.

“And after that and if the results are not good,  we will be sacked and  someone else will come here.”

Guardiola also suggested some of the players could have done better in a challenging season.

He added: “With the quality of our players  it should have been better.

“My only regret is we were not able to fight to the end in the Premier League.”

Guardiola has left Bayern Munich to take charge at Manchester City

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Guardiola enjoyed great success at Bayern Munich and Barcelona

Ahead of tonight’s Etihad clash with Albion, Guardiola dismissed Arsene Wenger’s concerns   many rival teams are already on the beach.

City know wins over the Baggies and Watford — neither of whom have anything to play for — will ensure third place.

But Guardiola expects a team managed by Tony Pulis to be competitive.

The Baggies may have taken only two points from the last 21 but Guardiola said: “They are professional and are going to play to win.

“I don’t think Tony Pulis teams like  Stoke and now West Brom, play a game thinking it does doesn’t matter.”

Guardiola also urged his players not to let the emotion of Pablo Zabaleta’s final game — he is set to  be brought off the bench — get in the way and them doing their jobs.

He added: ‘I have a lot of respect. Nine years here. His impact here was amazing and helped make the club what it is right now.”

 LIKELY LINE-UPS — MAN CITY: Caballero, Fernandinho, Kompany, Otamendi, Kolarov, Toure, Sane, De Bruyne, Silva, Jesus, Aguero.

 WEST BROM: Foster, Dawson, Evans, Wilson, Nyom, Yacob, Fletcher, Brunt, Livermore, McClean, Rondon.