{"id":11370,"date":"2026-05-21T01:00:27","date_gmt":"2026-05-21T01:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=11370"},"modified":"2026-05-21T01:00:27","modified_gmt":"2026-05-21T01:00:27","slug":"man-city-boss-pep-guardiola-is-set-to-take-year-long-sabbatical","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/?p=11370","title":{"rendered":"Man City boss Pep Guardiola is set to take year long sabbatical"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div id=\"article-body\">\n<!-- Article Start --><\/p>\n<p><strong>Pep Guardiola\u2019s Manchester City chapter looks like it is coming to an end, and his next step may not be another club job.<br \/><\/strong><br \/>According to Sport, Guardiola is expected to take a year-long sabbatical after leaving City before returning to coaching at international level.<\/p>\n<div aria-labelledby=\"primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-sender primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-message_text primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-alt_text primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-date_time primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-reaction_count primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-reply_count primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-link_count primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-attachment_count primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-has_draft_reply primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-pinned_state primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-edited_state primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-later_state primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-broadcast_state primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-broadcast_thread_root_message primary-DPALHTQM9-1779082922.637049-translated_state\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" id=\"message-list_1779082922.637049\" style=\"clear:left;\">\n<div>\n<div aria-roledescription=\"message\">\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div><b>DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL CAUGHTOFFSIDE APP FOR ALL THE LATEST &#038; BREAKING UPDATES \u2013 STRAIGHT TO YOUR PHONE! ON <\/b><b><u><span draggable=\"true\">APPLE<\/span><\/u><\/b><b>  &#038; <\/b><b><u><span draggable=\"true\">GOOGLE PLAY<\/span><\/u><\/b><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>The situation is still not fully official from Guardiola himself. He has refused to publicly confirm his exit, insisting that discussions must take place with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak and chief executive Ferran Soriano before anything is formally announced.<\/p>\n<p>However, reports in England say he has already informed Man City\u2019s players that he intends to leave after the final game of the season.<\/p>\n<p>If this really is the end, it closes one of the most dominant managerial eras English football has ever seen.<\/p>\n<h2>Pep Guardiola has been a huge success at Man City<\/h2>\n<p>Guardiola arrived at City in 2016 and completely changed the standards of the Premier League.<\/p>\n<p>His teams did not just win trophies; they changed how many clubs wanted to play.<\/p>\n<p>Possession, pressing, inverted full-backs, technical centre-backs, control in midfield, so many modern Premier League trends have Guardiola\u2019s fingerprints all over them.<\/p>\n<p>Reuters described Guardiola\u2019s City reign as an \u201cera-defining decade,\u201d noting that he won 15 major trophies, including six Premier League titles and the club\u2019s first Champions League.<\/p>\n<p>That record makes it easy to understand why taking a break now would make sense. Guardiola\u2019s style of management is intense.<\/p>\n<p>He lives every detail, every training session and every tactical adjustment. After ten years at one club, a sabbatical feels less like a luxury and more like a reset.<\/p>\n<p>The national-team angle is also interesting. Guardiola has already won almost everything in club football with Barcelona, Bayern Munich and Man City.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-stories std-mgn-b\">&#13;<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<header class=\"col-s-12 std-mgn-t\">More Stories \/ <span class=\"topic\">Latest News<\/span><\/header>\n<div class=\"post-container col-s-4\">\n<p>\t\t\t&#13;<\/p>\n<div class=\"img-cntr\"><picture><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1495\" height=\"900\" src=\"https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/COS-FeaturedHero-Image-Templates-34-1.jpg\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-1659422 lazyload\" alt=\"Jurrien Timber and Eberechi Eze\" srcset=\"https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/COS-FeaturedHero-Image-Templates-34-1-190x114.jpg 190w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/COS-FeaturedHero-Image-Templates-34-1-245x147.jpg 245w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/COS-FeaturedHero-Image-Templates-34-1-320x193.jpg 320w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/COS-FeaturedHero-Image-Templates-34-1-414x249.jpg 414w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/COS-FeaturedHero-Image-Templates-34-1-630x379.jpg 630w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width:1230px) 237px, (min-width:1020px) 190px, (min-width:900px) 280px, (min-width:680px) 30vw, (min-width:414px) 125px, 30vw\"\/><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-container col-s-4\">\n<p>\t\t\t&#13;<\/p>\n<div class=\"img-cntr\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/COS-FeaturedHero-Image-Templates-2026-05-20T033818.606-190x114.jpg.webp 190w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/COS-FeaturedHero-Image-Templates-2026-05-20T033818.606-245x147.jpg.webp 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srcset=\"https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/COS-FeaturedHero-Image-Templates-2026-05-20T033818.606-190x114.jpg 190w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/COS-FeaturedHero-Image-Templates-2026-05-20T033818.606-245x147.jpg 245w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/COS-FeaturedHero-Image-Templates-2026-05-20T033818.606-320x193.jpg 320w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/COS-FeaturedHero-Image-Templates-2026-05-20T033818.606-414x249.jpg 414w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/COS-FeaturedHero-Image-Templates-2026-05-20T033818.606-630x379.jpg 630w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width:1230px) 237px, (min-width:1020px) 190px, (min-width:900px) 280px, (min-width:680px) 30vw, (min-width:414px) 125px, 30vw\"\/><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"post-container col-s-4\">\n<p>\t\t\t&#13;<\/p>\n<div class=\"img-cntr\"><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image_2026-05-20_023813198-190x107.jpg.webp 190w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image_2026-05-20_023813198-245x138.jpg.webp 245w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image_2026-05-20_023813198-320x180.jpg.webp 320w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image_2026-05-20_023813198-414x233.jpg.webp 414w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image_2026-05-20_023813198-630x354.jpg.webp 630w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width:1230px) 237px, (min-width:1020px) 190px, (min-width:900px) 280px, (min-width:680px) 30vw, (min-width:414px) 125px, 30vw\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1920\" height=\"1080\" src=\"https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image_2026-05-20_023813198.jpg\" class=\"lazyload wp-image-1659408 has-webp lazyload\" alt=\"Richarlison celebrating goal vs Chelsea\" srcset=\"https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image_2026-05-20_023813198-190x107.jpg 190w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image_2026-05-20_023813198-245x138.jpg 245w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image_2026-05-20_023813198-320x180.jpg 320w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image_2026-05-20_023813198-414x233.jpg 414w,https:\/\/icdn.caughtoffside.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/image_2026-05-20_023813198-630x354.jpg 630w\" data-sizes=\"(min-width:1230px) 237px, (min-width:1020px) 190px, (min-width:900px) 280px, (min-width:680px) 30vw, (min-width:414px) 125px, 30vw\"\/><\/source><\/picture><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n<\/section>\n<h2>Spaniard wants to test himself in international management<\/h2>\n<p>International management would offer him a very different challenge. Instead of coaching players every day, he would have to build ideas in shorter windows, deal with tournaments, and manage emotions in a completely different environment.<\/p>\n<p>That could appeal to him. He has often been linked with international jobs, especially Brazil, Spain and England, although nothing concrete has been confirmed yet.<\/p>\n<p>A year away would allow him to watch the game from distance, recharge mentally and wait for the right national-team opportunity rather than jumping straight into another exhausting club project.<\/p>\n<p>Winning a World Cup or European Championship would silence the only remaining argument some critics still use against him.<\/p>\n<p><em><strong>Man City edge closer to midfielder deal dealing massive blow to Real Madrid <\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<p><!-- Article End -->\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Pep Guardiola\u2019s Manchester City chapter looks like it is coming to an end, and his&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11371,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pagelayer_contact_templates":[],"_pagelayer_content":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-11370","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-chelsea"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11370","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11370"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11370\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11371"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11370"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11370"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/playball.com.ng\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11370"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}