•The Spaniard’s contract runs out at the end of next season, and should he see that deal through, Guardiola will have been in charge of City for seven seasons, three campaigns more than he oversaw at this native Barcelona.
•Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus is the only player doubtful for the Brentford game due to injury.
Image: /REUTERS
Pep Guardiola said there was no other reason why he has stayed on as Manchester City manager for so long other than the fact his team keeps winning but he is in no rush to sign a new contract.
The Spaniard’s contract runs out at the end of next season, and should he see that deal through, Guardiola will have been in charge of City for seven seasons, three campaigns more than he oversaw at this native Barcelona.
City are on course for their fourth Premier League title under Guardiola, top of the standings and nine points clear of second-placed Liverpool going into their clash with Brentford on Wednesday.
“I am here so long because we won a lot and we’re winning a lot,” Guardiola told a news conference on Tuesday. “Otherwise, I will not be here in front of you after six seasons.
“We are comfortable—both the club and myself. And that’s why we continue, it is no more than that.
“We still have a one year and a half contract, which is a lot of time considering how world football is. We see how many managers were sacked, not just here in England, but everywhere.
“So that’s why I’m just thinking about the next game as one year and a half is a lot of time in football.”
Guardiola also made light of videos circulating on social media showing several City players outside a bar in Manchester on Sunday night.
“I’m so upset because they didn’t invite me,” he said. “The video didn’t show what did or didn’t happen. All of them were perfect, but they will be fined because they didn’t invite me.”
Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus is the only player doubtful for the Brentford game due to injury.
In Rome, Zlatan Ibrahimovic is like a caged lion as he fights to regain fitness, but the Swede will be unavailable for AC Milan’s Italian Cup quarter-final against Lazio, coach Stefano Pioli said on Tuesday.
The 40-year-old striker, Milan’s joint-top scorer this season with eight goals, has a damaged Achilles tendon and missed Saturday’s 2-1 Milan derby victory over league leaders Inter.
“Zlatan is a caged lion. He is motivated to help the team on the pitch. He is doing everything to recover, he won’t be ready for tomorrow but we will see about the next games,” Pioli told Sport Mediaset.
Olivier Giroud started in Ibrahimovic’s place against Inter and was the hero, scoring twice in three second-half minutes to complete a surprise comeback and silence his detractors. “The critics are always there, what counts is the faith that we have in him,” Pioli said.
“He is showing that he is the player who we bought, a valuable player and person who is giving a great contribution to the team.”
Milan haven’t won the Italian Cup since 2003 and are involved in a fierce Serie A title race, sitting one point behind leaders Inter.
“The concrete objective is to eliminate Lazio tomorrow. That will be a difficult obstacle, they are in good form and won a great match against Fiorentina on Saturday. We will focus on Wednesday’s match and then go one step at a time,” Pioli said.
“Today’s training session will be very important to understand the condition of the players, but the best possible team will be selected.”