HUGE expectations were raised on Manchester City after they appointed Pep Guardiola to take control in the summer.
But after crashing out of the Champions League before the quarter-finals and faltering in the title race, the honeymoon period is well and truly over for the Spaniard.
We rate Guardiola’s nine month tenure so far.
HAS PEP LIVED UP TO HIS BILLING?
IF you had said in August that by mid-March City would be out of the Champions League and struggling in the title race, the owners would have been surprised and disappointed.
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If you had told them the same thing at the end of September — after winning their first ten matches you would have been laughed at.
Ex-boss Manuel Pellegrini won the League Cup, reached the Champions League semi-final and finished fourth in the Prem last season.
Yet chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said after the Chilean’s departure that was the minimum they expected.
City are by no means guaranteed a top-four spot — and have games against Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea coming up. He will probably have to win the FA Cup and finish second for his season to be declared any kind of success.
WHAT NEEDS TO BE DONE?
PLENTY. SunSport reported last month that Guardiola has realised he will need more than the three years on his contract to achieve what he wants at City.
Another summer rebuild is on the cards. He will be in the market for new full-backs and at least one centre-back.
They will probably go for a new goalkeeper too — although whether that will be a new No 1 or an understudy has yet to be decided.
He hinted last week he will be happy with Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus as his striking options — although Aguero may have something to say about that. And it would not be Pep if he was not looking for a new midfielder or two — although do not forget Ilkay Gundogan should come back in.
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WILL PEP FEEL THE HEAT?
NOT yet. You can be sure that Guardiola will be given time — and money — to get it right.
And it is still early days — less than nine months into a project likely to last at least three years.
With his friends chief exec Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain working with him, he looks about the safest boss in the Premier League.
Gael Clichy blamed the players for their dismal show in Monaco this week. He said: “Yes, we have to take responsibility because he never told us to play deep.”
Even if he was to end up potless and outside the top four, there would be no panic decisions from above. Too much has been invested in him for that although next season he will be expected to deliver trophies.
IS IT ALL DOOM AND GLOOM?
NOT at all — there is nothing that cannot be rectified by a whole new defence and there have been some glimpses of what they can achieve.
City fans will not forget the way their team ripped Manchester United apart at Old Trafford in September and there were signs in the home Champions League wins over Barcelona and Monaco they can become a major European force.
The way Jesus linked up with Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sane at Crystal Palace and West Ham showed there is so much more to come.
WILL BEGIRISTAIN AND SORIANO’S NECKS BE ON THE BLOCK?
IF Guardiola fails they will be accountable too.
Should they fail to win the FA Cup, it will be just one trophy in three years — and that was the 2016 League Cup — while they have failed at the Champions League last-16 stage in three of their last four seasons.
Begiristain has an impressive contacts book and got many deals over the line but at what cost?
Normally a huge one. Some of the sums have been crazy. His record of selling players is also poor.
City have wasted millions and face another huge outlay this summer.
Neglecting the full-backs for so long left many at the Etihad scratching their heads and now it has come back to haunt them.
Soriano has achieved great results off the pitch and been the driving force behind the City Football Group but if Pep does not work then their necks will be on the block too.
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