City Boss Pep Guardiola Could ‘Leave Manchester City This Week’ After Man Utd Loss – And his replacement has been shortlisted

The noise around Manchester City has become louder than ever, and this time it is not coming from fans on social media or rival supporters enjoying City’s pain, but from the heart of European football itself. The words are shocking, brutal, and almost unbelievable. “Sack Pep Guardiola now before it will be too late, managers have mastered his playing pattern, Manchester City needs a new coach.” These words are reportedly linked to Bayern Munich manager Vincent Kompany, a former City captain, a club legend, a man who knows the soul of Manchester City better than most people alive. When such a voice begins to question Pep Guardiola’s future, the situation is no longer normal. Something is seriously wrong.

Manchester City’s 2-0 defeat to Manchester United at Old Trafford did not just cost them three points. It ripped open old wounds, exposed deep problems, and sent shockwaves through the club from the dressing room to the boardroom. This was not a narrow loss. This was not bad luck. This was not a referee decision. This was a performance that looked tired, predictable, slow, and completely out of ideas. From the first minute, City looked like a team that had been figured out. Manchester United did not fear them. They did not sit deep in panic. They waited, studied, and punished them with confidence.

The goals from Bryan Mbeumo and Patrick Dorgu in the second half felt like final blows to a wounded giant. United played with hunger. City played with confusion. Guardiola stood on the touchline looking frustrated, helpless, and strangely empty. This was a man once known for always having answers. Now he looks like someone still searching for the questions.

What made the defeat even more painful was how comfortable United looked. The scoreline of 2-0 actually flattered Manchester City. It could have been worse. Much worse. The midfield was disconnected. The passing was slow. The pressing was late. The movement up front was predictable. For the first time in many years, City looked like a team playing from memory, not imagination.

One of the most worrying signs is Erling Haaland. The Norwegian striker, once unstoppable, is now on a seven-game run without scoring from open play. That statistic alone would have been unthinkable two seasons ago. Haaland looks isolated. He looks frustrated. He makes runs that are ignored. Defenders now know exactly where the ball is coming from and when. Guardiola’s system once created chaos. Now it creates routine.

Opposition managers have adapted. They have studied the patterns. They have cracked the code. City’s build-up play is no longer a mystery. The inverted fullbacks, the false midfield rotations, the slow circulation before the sudden pass, it is all expected now. Teams wait. Teams block the middle. Teams force City wide and defend crosses easily. Guardiola’s genius has been copied, countered, and neutralized.

This is why the words linked to Vincent Kompany hit so hard. Kompany is not a random critic. He is not a pundit chasing attention. He is not a rival enjoying City’s struggle. He is a man who lifted trophies with Guardiola, a man who understands his methods deeply. If Kompany believes managers have mastered Guardiola’s playing pattern, then the alarm bells should be ringing loudly inside the Etihad.

After the match, veteran broadcaster Richard Keys added fuel to the fire with a sensational claim that Guardiola could leave Manchester City as early as this week. Not at the end of the season. Not next summer. This week. The idea sounds insane, but football history has taught us that once the noise becomes this loud, something usually happens.

Keys did not speak with uncertainty. He spoke with confidence. He claimed Guardiola’s mind is heavy. He claimed the pressure is real. He claimed the idea of walking away is already there. Andy Gray backed him, saying “enough is enough.” When two experienced voices speak like this, it cannot be ignored.

Guardiola only signed a new two-year contract in November 2024, meant to keep him at the club until 2027. On paper, that should mean stability. But football is not played on paper. Contracts do not protect managers from results, pressure, and reality. Just months after signing that deal, Guardiola is now surrounded by questions, doubts, and whispers about his future.

Last season was already a warning sign. Manchester City finished the campaign without a single trophy. That alone was shocking. Guardiola is not used to empty seasons. City fans are not used to empty seasons. The board is not used to empty seasons. And now, this season is heading in the same dangerous direction.

Arsenal are pulling away at the top of the table. Liverpool look ruthless again. Aston Villa are threatening to overtake City. The title race is slipping away early, and City do not look like a team ready to fight back. They look like a team waiting for something to change, but not knowing how.

The spending has not stopped either. The club invested heavily again, including a £65 million move for Antoine Semenyo. Yet the performances have not improved. In fact, they look worse. That raises the most painful question of all. Is this still Pep Guardiola’s team, or has the cycle finally ended?

Football history is cruel. Even the greatest managers eventually reach a point where their ideas no longer shock, no longer surprise, no longer dominate. It happened to Mourinho. It happened to Wenger. It happened to Ferguson in his final years. Guardiola may be facing that same moment now.

The mention of Enzo Maresca as a possible replacement only adds to the drama. Maresca knows Manchester City. He worked under Guardiola. He understands the structure, the philosophy, and the culture. His name being linked so strongly suggests the club is at least preparing for a future without Pep, even if they deny it publicly.

According to reports, Maresca left Chelsea after a frustrating draw and a breakdown in trust. He reportedly skipped media duties and reflected on his next step. That timing now feels suspicious. Too perfect. Almost planned.

Then there is Vincent Kompany. The idea of Kompany returning to Manchester City as manager feels emotional, symbolic, and powerful. A former captain returning to rebuild a club that once relied on his leadership. If Guardiola leaves, Kompany would represent a new era, a fresh voice, and a connection to the club’s identity.

Some fans will say Guardiola deserves patience. They will say he has earned the right to rebuild again. They will say his legacy is untouchable. And they are right. Guardiola is one of the greatest managers of all time. Six league titles. Tactical revolutions. Record-breaking seasons. Unforgettable football.

But football does not reward memories. It rewards results. Right now, the results are not there. The hunger is not there. The fear factor is gone. Opponents walk into games against City believing they can win. That belief alone shows how much has changed.

The Manchester United defeat was not just another loss. It felt like a message. A statement. A sign that the balance of power is shifting. Guardiola looked like a man carrying the weight of the past rather than the excitement of the future.

If Guardiola walks away this week, it will shock the football world. If he stays until the end of the season and leaves quietly, it will feel inevitable. Either way, Manchester City are standing at a crossroads.

Vincent Kompany’s reported words echo louder with every poor performance. Sack him now before it is too late. Managers have mastered his pattern. City need a new coach. These are brutal words, but sometimes brutal truths hurt the most.

All great eras end. The only question now is how this one ends. With dignity and planning, or with chaos and regret. The next few days, weeks, and matches may decide everything.

And if Pep Guardiola does walk away from Manchester City, history will remember him as a legend, but football will move on, as it always does