‘Glad to see the back of him’ – rival fans on Guardiola

May 23, 2026 No Comments

‘Glad to see the back of him’ – rival fans on GuardiolaImage source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Pep Guardiola has won 17 major trophies with Manchester City, including six Premier League titles and a Champions LeagueByLuke ReddyBBC Sport Senior JournalistPublished24 minutes agoA likeable “nemesis” and a man with “direct influence” on the clubs around him. The builder of a “juggernaut” but not the Premier League’s greatest.There is hope of a power shift in Manchester, while on Merseyside some hope Pep Guardiola’s exit at Manchester City means the gap to catch up gets smaller.

Rival fans have told BBC Sport how Guardiola impacted their own standards, shaped their own clubs and – perhaps unsurprisingly – why there will be relief in some quarters to see the back of him.

‘No surprise we’re glad to see the back of him’

Manchester United fan Alex Turk from Turk Talks FC, external

So is this how it feels.

On 8 May 2013 the football world rejoiced when the news came through that Sir Alex Ferguson was walking away from Manchester United and into retirement.

After 38 trophies in 27 years, you could understand the relief.

Now, with City confirming Guardiola is on his way out, the feeling is mutual.

Praise for anything related to City understandably comes with hesitation while 115 charges for alleged financial rule breaches linger, but Guardiola’s Ferguson-like thirst for lifting silverware, and his undoubted influence on the English game, cannot be ignored.

A total of 20 trophies across 10 years should make it no surprise that we are glad to see the back of him.

It’s not quite Ferguson, and calls for Guardiola to be recognised as the Premier League’s greatest manager are purely reactionary.

That reported, there is admittedly a layer of respect that seldom leaks out.

Guardiola has watched four United managers come and go during his time in Manchester, yet he has always shown this great club the respect it demands.

In another life, he was the chosen one, not David Moyes. Where would that have taken us?

It is fitting how, 15 minutes before the confirmation of Guardiola’s departure, United revealed Michael Carrick’s appointment as permanent head coach.

I would be lying if I reported there wasn’t hope of City suffering the same hangover we did after Ferguson’s departure.

If United and Carrick get it right this summer, there is a serious opportunity for the hierarchy of power in Manchester to change.

‘I actually grew to quite like this nemesis’

Liverpool fan Josh Sexton can be found on outlets including The Anfield Wrap, external

It comes to something when your long-time nemesis says it is time to move on and you actually feel a little bit sad about it.

It feels like a chapter of English football is truly closing.

I actually grew to quite like Guardiola – a feeling made easier by Liverpool refusing to be any competition to his team this season.

Between his compassionate politics and his increasingly funny news conferences, the man who became the bane of our existence has started to cut a much more likeable figure.

The respect element was always there.

Yes, there are caveats to City’s success, but there are very few doubts about Guardiola’s greatness as a manager.

After Jurgen Klopp left Anfield in 2024, it seemed only natural that the man he went toe to toe with for so many years would move on fairly soon after.

The truth is, the standards those two managers set would warp our perception of what a normal title-winning points total looks like.

Arsenal have pipped Guardiola to the Premier League this season, but they have done so with a maximum of 85 points – a climbdown from the days of Liverpool and City pushing each other to 90-plus totals.

Liverpool have fallen away this season, but Guardiola moving on means the barrier to entry for a title race is likely to not be as high.

Therefore, Liverpool supporters should be reassured that a return to the top is not too far away, especially with such a talented group of players.

We might not see those 2018-2022 levels again for a little while, though, and for that we will always – at least partly – have Guardiola to thank.

Pep Guardiola with Enzo Maresca in background — Image caption,

Former Chelsea manager Enzo Maresca (left) is expected to replace Guardiola at City

‘My negativity is purely jealousy’

Arsenal fan Laura Kirk-Francis can be found at the Latte Firm podcast, external

It has felt like there have been two weights lifted off me in the past few days. The first is Arsenal’s Premier League title win and the other is news that Guardiola is leaving. My nightmare is over.

I would like to firstly thank Guardiola for remaining at the club long enough for Arsenal to finally triumph over him, as it makes the victory so much sweeter.

His City side have caused me so much grief, especially over the past few seasons, that I am celebrating his departure.

I am self-aware enough to realise that a lot of my negativity towards Guardiola is purely jealousy. Jealousy at the juggernaut he has created that, up until this week, nearly always had the beating of Arsenal. Jealousy at the winning mentality he seems to instil in every one of his sides.

At times, his City sides have been a painful reminder of quite how far Arsenal were from winning anything.

In time, I might be able to look back and appreciate the magnitude of his achievements, but so many of them have come at the expense of my beloved Arsenal that it is still too raw at the moment. And if I sound bitter, it is because I am.

It is hard to imagine a league without Guardiola. His departure leaves a vacuum for another side to fill with their own domination. I very much hope that side are Arsenal.

‘Direct influence on events at clubs around him’

Chelsea fan Will Faulks can be found at Chelsea News, external

It is common to remember where you were when major world events happen – and it is a sign of how momentous the news of Guardiola coming to the Premier League was that I remember I was checking my phone between sets in a tennis match when it broke.

For Chelsea fans, the Guardiola era of dominance has coincided with their own team’s decline.

Beating his City team at Etihad Stadium in his first season was one of the most memorable results in recent Chelsea history – and it was the moment Antonio Conte’s team secured the title.

Despite the joy, there was a sense that day that Chelsea, while worthy winners of the Premier League, were facing an incomplete Guardiola team who would not make the same mistakes again.

That sense proved to be accurate. City have since won six titles since and Chelsea have not seriously competed for one.

Guardiola’s unparalleled effects on football as a whole are well documented, but what is less obvious is his direct influence on events at clubs around him.

In recent years some managers at Chelsea have been sacked for failing to compete with him, while others have departed for failing to emulate him.

The briefings about incoming manager Xabi Alonso this week claim that a major factor in the decision to appoint him was that his football has a direct link to the style played by Enzo Maresca, who has shaped this current squad.

Maresca is one of Guardiola’s disciples and a former assistant of his.

It is a reminder that the ‘identity’ that Chelsea’s sporting directors are trying to establish is a direct link back to Guardiola and his immeasurable impact on English football.