Is This Pep Guardiola's Worst Season As A Manager?

When Pep Guardiola first took charge of Barcelona in 2008, he revolutionised football. His teams played with elegance and intensity, not only winning trophies but also setting a new standard for the sport. Guardiola’s approach has since been exported to Bayern Munich and Manchester City, where he’s continued to dominate domestic competitions and redefine the tactical landscape. However, the 2024/25 season has felt different for the Catalan tactician.

This season, Manchester City and Guardiola will be trophyless for only the second time since the Spaniard's arrival in 2016. Following a 1-0 defeat to Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final on Saturday, the only thing City now have left to play for is Champions League qualification, with two fixtures remaining. They currently sit in sixth place in the Premier League, but a win against Bournemouth tomorrow evening would see them jump back up to third in the table.

The aura of invincibility that once surrounded Guardiola’s teams has seemed to wane. Pundits and fans alike have begun to question whether this might be the most challenging season of his managerial career. So, is this Pep Guardiola’s worst season as a manager?

Manchester City announced Pep Guardiola's appointment nine years ago.

He's lifted 13 of 24 domestic trophies since joining the club—that's more than 𝐇𝐀𝐋𝐅 🤯 pic.twitter.com/IKzyhu3VIF

— B/R Football (@brfootball) February 1, 2025

The Weight of Expectations

One of Guardiola’s greatest strengths – and perhaps his biggest burden – is the expectation of perfection. His sides are expected to control every aspect of the game, suffocate the opposition with relentless pressing, and dominate possession. These standards, set by Guardiola himself, have raised the bar not just for his own teams but for football as a whole. But this season, those familiar patterns have been less consistent.

City’s possession stats have dipped slightly from their usual 65-70% dominance to around 60% in some matches, and their expected goals (xG) numbers have also taken a hit, reflecting a slight drop in their attacking sharpness. They’ve also found themselves conceding more frequently – shipping an average of 1.2 goals per game this season compared to just 0.8 last year. It might not seem like a drastic change, but at the elite level, these small margins can be the difference between glory and heartbreak.

Tactical Tinkering or Overcomplication?

Guardiola’s tactical mind is as sharp as ever, but this season has seen more experimentation than usual. Whether it’s a back three with inverted full-backs or deploying midfielders as false nines, his desire to innovate remains strong. However, this tactical flexibility has at times seemed more like overcomplication than adaptation. City’s passing accuracy has dropped to 88% from a consistent 90% over the past few seasons, and they’re completing fewer passes in the final third – a key metric for a team built around breaking down deep defensive blocks.

In matches where City have been caught out, it’s often felt as though they’ve been beaten not just by their opponents but by their own tactical rigidity. Losses to mid-table sides and surprising draws against relegation battlers have sparked debates about whether Guardiola’s constant tweaking is disrupting the team’s rhythm.

Oliver Glasner was confident he could get the better of Pep Guardiola's Man City if they met again this season 😤

📌 17 May 2025: Crystal Palace 1-0 Man City (FA Cup final) pic.twitter.com/XNHZ4RjjFI

— Premier League (@premierleague) May 17, 2025

Poor Form And Cup Domestic Failures

This season, we've witnessed one of the most feared and dominant Manchester City teams hit an all-time low. Football fans around the world were shocked when City went seven games without a win, a run that included four consecutive Premier League defeats to Bournemouth, Brighton, Tottenham, and Liverpool before Christmas. They were also knocked out of the Carabao Cup at the beginning of this winless streak, losing 2-1 to Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.

Here’s a breakdown of that run:

October 30, 2024 – Tottenham 2-1 Manchester City (Carabao Cup)

November 2, 2024 – Bournemouth 2-1 Manchester City (Premier League)

November 5, 2024 – Sporting CP 4-1 Manchester City (Champions League)

November 9, 2024 – Brighton 2-1 Manchester City (Premier League)

November 23, 2024 – Manchester City 0-4 Tottenham (Premier League)

November 26, 2024 – Manchester City 3-3 Feyenoord (Champions League)

December 1, 2024 – Liverpool 2-0 Manchester City (Premier League)

This streak finally ended with a 3-0 victory over Nottingham Forest on December 4, bringing an end to the longest winless run of Guardiola's managerial career.

Having already been eliminated from the Carabao Cup by Tottenham, City were then knocked out of the Champions League by Real Madrid over two legs in the knockout phase play-offs. They lost 3-2 in the home leg before being knocked out after a 3-1 defeat at the Santiago Bernabéu in the return fixture.

With City out of the title picture in the Premier League, all hope of silverware came down to the FA Cup final against Crystal Palace. Despite a poor season, Pep's side were still heavy favourites going into the game. But against the odds, underdogs Crystal Palace added to City’s wounds this season, beating them 1-0 thanks to a goal from Eberechi Eze.

13 - Tonight was Manchester City’s 13th defeat of the season across all competitions, which is now the most ever by a Pep Guardiola side in a single campaign in his managerial career. Unprecedented. pic.twitter.com/pQMFlI8tzI

— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) February 19, 2025

What does the future look like?

As of May 2025, Pep Guardiola has two years remaining on his contract with Manchester City, which is set to expire in the summer of 2027. He signed this two-year extension in November 2024, extending his tenure beyond the original end date of the 2024–25 season.

This extension means Guardiola is poised to complete over a decade at the helm of Manchester City, having joined the club in 2016. During his time, he has led the team to significant successes, including multiple Premier League titles and a historic treble in the 2022/23 season.

With the season being as poor as it has been, I think we can expect Guardiola and City to strengthen the star-studded squad with new recruitment over the summer transfer window, with the hope of bouncing back stronger than ever in the 2025/26 season.

🚨🔵 Manchester City will submit a formal, opening bid to AC Milan for Tijjani Reijnders in the upcoming weeks.

Reijnders wants to focus on final games of the season with Milan and Man City respect that; then bid will follow next as he’s the main target at #8. pic.twitter.com/KbxstJIpcA

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) May 15, 2025

Conclusion

With this being only the second season that Guardiola has gone trophyless, it appears to be his worst one yet. The first season without silverware can be forgiven, as he inherited a City side in need of a rebuild to fit his playing style while also adapting to the Premier League. But this season, City never found a consistent rhythm. Injuries have played their part, but with the depth of talent in the current squad, they still should have been able to achieve more. The question now is how Guardiola and his side will bounce back next season?