Many Manchester City fans are still getting over Pep Guardiola’s departure, but it looks like there’s potential for him to return to football management quite quickly.
After 10 incredible years at the Etihad Stadium, Pep Guardiola called time on managing the club.
It had been rumoured for months, but Guardiola did not make a final decision until just before the end of the season.
Guardiola has held talks about becoming the Italy head coach! Would this be a good move for him?
Are you surprised he could be taking another job so quickly?
Ultimately, Guardiola left because he knew he would not have enough energy to keep going.
As everyone knows, the Spaniard is one of the most intense coaches in the game, and clearly he felt the time was right to walk away.
But it seems Guardiola could go straight back into the game, with the Italy national team reportedly holding talks with him to become their new manager.
- Who is Pep Guardiola? The legendary manager who has won it all at Man City
Fans react as Pep Guardiola holds talks over Italy job
International football may well suit Guardiola, as it does not have the same intensity as club football management.
It is not the first time Guardiola has been linked with a national team.
The likes of Brazil and England have expressed interest before, and there have also been some tentative links to the Netherlands recently.
But now Italy are looking to appoint him, having been a sleeping giant in recent years.
Using our TalkingPoints platform, Manchester City News got the thoughts of fans about the idea of Guardiola managing Italy.
Needless to say, plenty back him to turn things around for them:
- ‘I kinda like it. Bring the sleeping giants back to the top. Klopp will be fuming tho!’
- ‘Could be a good project for him. He’s the perfect man to bring back the glory days’
- ‘If anyone can spark some magic among the Italians… it’s fair to say Pep can! But honestly I think there’s a deeper problem there, can’t see them being serious competitors for a number of years, Serie A ain’t what it used to be!’
- ‘Now this is the ULTIMATE test for Guardiola, I love it. Enough about his billions spent on players, let’s see if he can awake the biggest sleeping giants!’
- ‘Superb move imo. Chance to revolutionise Italian football and finally bring the nation’s style of play into the modern era’
- Would absolutely love to see this. The main criticism of Guardiola over the years is that he takes easy jobs where he can spend millions – this would be the total opposite, a proper challenge’
- ‘It will be interesting to see what he can do when there’s no transfers or budget in play!’
- ‘Italy need someone who can harness the youth and overhaul their youth system – Italian clubs have lost so much academy talent to foreign clubs over the years. They need someone to talk some sense into them, and who better?’
- ‘He could really redefine Italian football for a whole generation. As you said, there’s nobody better.’
Guardiola moving into another job so soon after leaving the Etihad may leave some City fans a bit confused and even upset.
But ultimately it would be no real shock.
Guardiola’s passion for football can be matched by very few in the game, and it is hard to imagine him having time out of the game.
International football may well be a new challenge he would welcome, and Italy have been in the wilderness for years now. Although they did win Euro 2020.
Guardiola may feel that this project is something he can get his teeth into, and something that could ultimately make his legacy grow even bigger.
