Right in the middle of the season! Pep Guardiola is apparently planning to take a break between two important matches

So far, Guardiola has not had the opportunity to give serious thought to his future due to the packed fixture list. Instead, his focus has been on finding solutions to his team’s inconsistent performances. He will now have around two weeks between the final against the Gunners and the subsequent FA Cup quarter-final against Liverpool

Following a season without a trophy and no major changes to the squad, things are not going well for City at the moment either, which is why speculation about a possible departure in the summer has recently increased significantly. "Everyone wants to sack me," said Guardiola after the 2-1 home defeat in the Champions League round of 16 second leg against his bogey team Real Madrid. "One day I’ll come here and say: ‘Bye bye, everyone’. The future will be bright. We’ll be back next season. When I retire in ten years’ time, I’ll always be City."

In an interview with the TV channel Movistar, however, he also made it clear that he still feels capable of rising to the challenge: "Yes," he said when asked about his motivation, "that will definitely happen."

City had lost the first leg in Madrid by a clear 3-0 margin. This was the fourth time in five years that Guardiola and his team had come off second best against Los Blancos.

In the event of a possible departure, the club is apparently already scouting the market for alternatives – reportedly even with Guardiola’s consent. Enzo Maresca, who previously worked on Guardiola’s coaching staff and most recently managed Chelsea FC, is repeatedly mentioned as a possible candidate.