Pep Guardiola’s killer instinct has been called into question over the last 12 months, but a decision the Manchester City boss made against Tottenham shows that he still has it.
The 2024/25 campaign was a very underwhelming one for City, as they went the entire season without a major trophy and needed the final day to secure Champions League football for the current term.
This was a result of the Manchester club failing to address their ageing squad during the 2024 summer transfer window, with Guardiola also accused of putting too much faith in the senior members among his ranks.
This eventually led to Man City fans questioning Guardiola after last season’s FA Cup final defeat to Crystal Palace, and there was a fear that the legendary coach had lost his killer instinct and that there would be a repeat of last season throughout the coming months.
The Spaniard made a ruthless decision for the Tottenham clash on Saturday that would have hurt him, and despite the 2-0 defeat to the North London club, one positive from the contest is that Guardiola seems ready to do whatever it takes to win again.
Pep Guardiola would have found it hard to leave Ilkay Gundogan out of his squad
Guardiola was one of the main driving forces behind Ilkay Gundogan’s return to Manchester City last summer as it became clear the German star was going to leave Barcelona.
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This was a result of the legendary coach’s admiration of the veteran midfielder, which derived from the many magical moments the 34-year-old produced during his first stint at Man City, with the midfielder being a player the Spaniard knowingly loves.
Therefore, it would have been difficult for Guardiola to have left Gundogan at home for City’s match with Tottenham on Saturday, with the Spaniard playing it down in the aftermath of the contest, stating that it was for rotation reasons.
“Rodri and Phil were out last week. I said many times with a deeper squad I have to rotate, and the next game it’ll be another one. I try to keep everyone involved and no more serious than that,” Guardiola told the press.
Guardiola left Gundogan on the bench for the Wolves clash on the opening weekend of the season, but leaving a player out of the squad entirely is totally different.
This shows that Guardiola still has the killer instinct inside him that made him the greatest manager of all time, as he seemingly had no problem leaving one of his favourite members within his squad at home.
Many will point out that it was a result of Gundogan being linked with a move away from Man City ahead of the final week of the summer transfer window, but either way, it was a clear message from Guardiola.
Players Pep Guardiola could sell during the final week of the transfer window
Guardiola made it clear towards the end of last season and in the aftermath of Man City’s win over Wolves that he does not want to work with a big squad throughout the 2025/26 campaign; therefore, the coming days will be key to trimming it.
Ederson is very likely to leave Man City for Galatasaray before the transfer window shuts, but the Brazilian will be replaced with Gianluigi Donnarumma if he leaves.
This is the same situation if Savinho leaves for Tottenham, with Guardiola making a move for Real Madrid’s Rodrygo if the Brazilian leaves the Etihad Stadium.
Therefore, in addition to Gundogan, the only sale that will reduce the size of City’s squad is Manuel Akanji’s potential move to Galatasaray.