Pep Guardiola warned he's not 'bulletproof' at Man City heading into FIFA Club World Cup - but is backed to save club after horror season

Heskey was speaking to Prime Casino about the Manchester club's prospects in the US. When asked if City are under pressure, the ex-Liverpool and England star suggested the club have to "win or give everything to get as far as possible". He also suggested the club would appreciate the added financial success of winning the tournament, as they have recently splashed on new signings Rayan Ait-Nouri and Rayan Cherki.

Heskey doesn't believe Guardiola's position is under threat should City fail at the tournament, even in light of an underwhelming season for the Sky Blues. The 2024/25 season was the first trophy-less effort for Pep's world beating side since 2016/17; Guardiola's first season in charge of the club.

Watch every FIFA Club World Cup game free on DAZN

Stream now

When asked if City are under pressure at the CWC, Heskey said: "Yeah, 100 percent. City have to win or give everything to get as far as possible, for the financial side, too.

"They’re buying all these players. They're getting all these players coming in, so this would actually help them as well. They've just got Ait-Nouri from Wolves, they've got Cherki coming in from Lyon, so you've got to really pay for all this. So I'm guessing they've really got to have a go."

He added: "Nothing will happen to Pep if City struggle at the Club World Cup, to be honest, even if they’ve had a rough year up until this point. 

"Let's be honest. I wouldn't say he's bulletproof, but he's not far off. The thing with Pep is that he’s just brought so much to Manchester City, to the club. He’s brought so much to the Premier League and to the country, too.

 "So the players need to give everything, but I don’t see any pressure on Pep if things go wrong in America."

A refreshed City side featuring Ait-Nouri and Cherki will kick off their CWC campaign against Moroccan side Wydad AC on Wednesday evening. Guardiola's side are among the favourites to lift the trophy alongside Real Madrid, PSG and Bayern Munich.