Pep Guardiola has alarmed Manchester City supporters by suggesting a contract is ‘just a piece of paper’ following Saturday’s 1-1 draw with Everton.
City dropped points at home again despite taking the lead through Erling Haaland’s 21st goal of the season.
Demarai Gray equalised for the struggling Toffees with a sublime solo effort midway through the second half to ensure the points were shared.
A draw was less than ideal for City, who watched Premier League leaders Arsenal move seven points clear at the top with a 4-2 win over Brighton later on Saturday.
For the first time in his career at the Etihad Stadium, Guardiola is facing criticism from supporters. The decision to let Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko join Arsenal in the summer is looking more and more damaging as the campaign progresses.
Couple that with a less-than-stellar home form and odd team selection, and it’s understandable why the 51-year-old is starting to feel the pressure.
Guardiola signed a contract extension with the reigning champions in November, keeping him at the club until 2025. He’s not ruled out the possibility of walking away before that.
He told reporters in his post-match press conference per Marca: “The moment I feel something is wrong, I will resign or not renew my contract.
Guardiola’s spent six years at City – his longest stay at a club in his manager career.
“I will not stay as [Sir Alex] Ferguson or [Arsene] Wenger. The contract is just a piece of paper. I extended my commitment to the club because I feel the team can still do it well under my leadership.
“In the end, it’s all about the result. If we get tired of each other, I’m not going to stay until the end because of the contract.”
Guardiola offered vital advice to star forward Haaland during a physical encounter against Frank Lampard’s side. The Norway international was visibly frustrated early in the contest after a foul by Everton defender Ben Godfrey.
It reached a boiling point just before halftime, with Haaland receiving a deserved booking for a foul on Vitaliy Mykolenko. Everton, who started the game one point above the relegation zone, were accused of time-wasting and dirty tactics by City defender John Stones.
Haaland made sure to celebrate in front of Godfrey.
Guardiola agreed with the sentiment, pointing out several fouls on City attacker Jack Grealish. He added: “I will talk with Haaland about that. It was a yellow card, definitely.
“With Jack Grealish three or four times he was down and nothing happened and then the first action from there it was a yellow card.
“I have said many times to the team for many years, we are Man City. We have to do our best but it can happen.
“With the yellow for Erling, I said be careful because it can be dangerous. We cannot play 10 vs 11.
“He was a little bit angry after what happened in the first action with his ankle. He reacted well and we did a good game.”
Source: sportbible.com
