Pep Guardiola Manchester City FA Cup final 2019Getty

'There's no better place to work' - Guardiola happy with life in England

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has redoubled his commitment to staying in the Premier League, affirming that there is "no place better" than England to be a manager. 

Guardiola became the first Premier League manager since Sir Alex Ferguson to retain the title with victories in 2017-18 and 2018-19 with City. 

The Citizens were taken down to the wire by Liverpool, but finally prevailed on the final day of the season having picked up 98 points over the course of the season. 

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There had been rumours that 2018-19 would be Pep's last campaign in England, with Juventus mooted as a possible destination for the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach. 

But the Spaniard insists that there is no place he would rather be than in the Premier League. 

“There’s no better place to work than England. There’s no better place to do your job as a manager," he explained to City TV.

"I can compare with Spain and Germany, I suspect Italy would be similar. There is no better place than England.

“The fans always support you. I am a blue shirt – I am one of yours. The first year was difficult. When we were knocked out by Monaco in the Champions League, struggling in the Premier League. But the fans supported us.

“I felt that in the first season when we didn’t win one title. They supported me. I don’t forget it. It’s easy now to say how good we are. The moment when it didn’t work so well – I needed time. We all need time. But I got the support."

Manchester City FA Cup winners 2019Getty

City also lifted the Carabao Cup and FA Cup last season, sealing England's first-ever domestic treble. 

Guardiola had achieved a similar feat during his time with Barcelona, winning La Liga, the Copa del Rey and the Champions League in a single season - but he believes this latest feat may have been even more challenging.

“[The treble] is one of the best because of where we did it. England is the toughest one. The Premier League and English football is the most difficult one," he added.

"For the tough calendar and the physicality of the opponents. The weather conditions – there are four or five months when the weather is really bad. It’s so demanding.

“The first one is one of the nicest ones. The first with Barcelona was the nicest, and last season here was to. We knew the contenders would be better.

"We knew Liverpool would be there. It was a little bit more incredible this year to maintain this pace and this level. We were seven points behind. There is a tendency to drop points then. You have to have incredible focus every single day."

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