Pep Guardiola plotting his next move: What next after the Manchester City chapter?

What could be the next destination for the Spanish maestro? (Image credits – Heute; licence details).

As per reports, Pep Guardiola is set to depart from Manchester City soon, and it will mark the end of an era. The Spanish boss will end one of the most dominant managerial eras in modern football in England. He had revolutionised English football with his philosophy and his hunger for perfection with results. Guardiola's possible departure at the end of the season has triggered a lot of speculation across the media. However, what is the former FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss plotting?

Pep Guardiola has already conquered La Liga, the Bundesliga and the Premier League, which is considered the most challenging league in the world. The Spaniard has also lifted the Champions League on two occasions with Barça and also lifted Manchester City’s first-ever Champions League title in 2023 while also clinching a treble. In his career with Man City spanning over almost a decade, he has managed 582 games so far, winning 415 games, drawing 75 games and losing just 92 games. Boasting a win record of 71% at the club, Guardiola has nothing left to prove in football, especially with silverware.

A possible shift to international football could be on the cards, as there will be plenty of vacant spots after the conclusion of the FIFA World Cup this summer. He was linked to Brazil and Spain before, and he could be open to take on a new challenge in his career. A continental trophy or the World Cup trophy would definitely be an icing on the cake of Pep Guardiola's already incredible trophy cabinet. Italy, who failed to qualify for the World Cup this year, have also sacked their manager and could aim to bring the Spaniard to recover them from this mess.

Can Pep Guardiola revive Italian football?

Following Italy’s embarrassing exit from the World Cup qualifiers against Bosnia and Herzegovina, the football confederation has relieved Gennaro Gattuso of his duties as a manager. As per reports by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Italy are planning to make Pep Guardiola one of the potential successors as the boss. Although the Spanish international has a contract with Manchester City until 2027, there have been consistent rumours of him leaving the club this summer. Massimiliano Allegri and Antonio Content are also viewed as possible options to replace Gattuso.

Roberto Mancini, who had led Italy to Euro Cup victory back in 2021, is also an option. However, the former boss is currently under contract with Al-Sadd in the Saudi Pro League until 2028. For Conte and Mancini, it would be their second stint as the Italian NT boss, but it would make little sense, as none of them could make the four-time World Cup winners a real threat in the World Cup.

Pep Guardiola could be the perfect candidate for this situation, as Italian football needs a complete revamp, in which the Spanish boss has expertise. Italian football has always been about defensive resilience, which is coined as 'catenaccio'. Although the modern game has evolved a lot, the primary inspiration for the game still comes from the Cattenacio era.

Guardiola, like he has done in the Premier League as well, would bring positional play, high-pressing football and a possession-based attacking football philosophy which Italy has never seen before. The Spaniard has also had the experience of reshaping teams before, as he had done that at FC Barcelona when he took charge back in 2008 and even at Manchester City. When he arrived in England, he completely changed football in the British isles, and all the other clubs had to adapt to his style of football.

He also possesses an incredible eye to scout talents, as most of his teams are built around young lads. Italy has plenty of young talents, and a manager like Pep Guardiola would be the perfect candidate to bring out the best from them. Guardiola might not be able to immediately bring success to Italy, but his arrival would definitely bring a change in culture, igniting a revolution from the primitive catenaccio.