Pat Nevin on Pep Guardiola’s 10-Year Manchester City Exit
pat nevin is the clear hook here: Pep Guardiola stepped down as Manchester City manager after 10 years in charge, ending a run that delivered two trophies this season. He left after an emotional send-off following his final game, with City now moving into a managerial transition and Enzo Maresca in advanced talks to take over.
Guardiola’s final game
Guardiola’s last day in charge closed with an emotional farewell after his final game, a fitting end to a 10-year spell that changed the club’s recent history. City still finished with two trophies, beating Arsenal in one final and Chelsea in another.
The one gap in the season was the Premier League. City did not win it, and the club will be hoping to end a run of two years without finishing top of the table.
Bernardo Silva and Foden
Bernardo Silva was described as Guardiola’s most trusted lieutenant, which says plenty about where the manager leaned when the pressure was highest. He was the player most closely tied to the team’s control, and that role mattered across a season that still produced silverware but fell short in the league.
Phil Foden’s year carried a different edge. He spent large periods of Guardiola’s final season on the bench, missed out on a place in England’s World Cup squad, and still agreed a new contract. That combination leaves City with a core talent secured for the next phase, even as the man who managed him through it steps away.
Enzo Maresca talks
Talks were at an advanced stage for Enzo Maresca to become the new Manchester City manager after the season, setting the first major decision of the post-Guardiola era. Guardiola is leaving the squad and club in excellent shape, which gives the incoming coach a strong base but also a demanding standard to match.
For City, the immediate task is simple enough: preserve the level that produced two trophies while handling the shift at the top. The transition has started, and the next manager inherits a squad that still has major pieces in place.
