Guardiola's annus horribilis: a season dissected

Guardiola's 2025-26 season concluded with an utter disappointment. Manchester City improved in the final stretch of the Premier League and, with new signings, hoped to deliver better performances at the States. Still part of the 2024-25 season, the Club World Cup could have provided a fresh start for the club and that was certainly the feeling after the group stage. However, against Al-Hilal, Manchester City displayed again those recurrent signs of weakness. The 'Citizens' bowed out in extra time and even Rodri couldn't help avoid their fate.

This Club World Cup has put an end to Pep Guardiola's worst season as a manager. Manchester City concludes the season with 33 wins, 11 draws... and 17 defeats! That's almost one defeat for every two wins, unthinkable given the outstanding standards set by the Spanish coach throughout his career.

Indeed, this number of 17 defeats speaks volumes. Until this 2024-25 season, his worst record was during the 2019-20, a year disrupted by the pandemic in which they finished 18 points behind Liverpool in the Premier League and were knocked out in the Champions League quarter-finals by Olympique Lyon. The 'Citizens' had finished the previous 2023-24 season with only five defeats. This season, they have come close to triplicate that number.

Guardiola's defeats during his managerial career

Manchester City 2024-25 | 17
Manchester City 2023-24 | 5
​Manchester City 2022-23 | 7
Manchester City 2021-22 | 8
​Manchester City 2020-21 | 8
Manchester City 2019-20 | 12
​Manchester City 2018-19 | 6
Manchester City 2017-18 | 7
Manchester City 2016-17 | 10
Bayern Munich 2015-16 | 4
Bayern Munich 2014-15 | 9
Bayern Munich 2013-14 | 6
- Did not manage in 2012-13 -
Barcelona 2011-12 | 4
Barcelona 2010-11 | 6
Barcelona 2009-10 | 4
Barcelona 2008-09 | 7

Previously, Guardiola had only seen two seasons with at least ten defeats, both with Manchester City: his first year (2016-17) and the aforementioned 2019-20 season. When managing Bayern and Barça, he never got to a number like that.

Back to the 2024-25 season, Manchester City had two months to forget, with a total of 9 defeats in 12 matches from the end of October to the final part of December. In that period alone, they conceded 52.94% of their total defeats.