PEP GUARDIOLA says he is a “wreck” as the Manchester City boss opened up on the physical toll that competing for major trophies has had on him.
The Spaniard is desperate to restore City back to the top when the Premier League kicks off next month after a spell of four league titles in a row ended in failure last season.
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According to close friends, Guardiola’s mood is said to range from “euphoric” to “depressed” as the 54-year-old reiterated his plans to take a break from management after life at the Etihad.
Guardiola even half-joked being boss of the blue half of Manchester has taken years off his life when he said: “Quite a few, especially if things are going badly.
“As I am now I’m 75 years old! I’m a wreck, everything hurts right now.
“So, if it’s my biological age… maybe if I take the test, I’ll come out younger. I hope to be better than I am now in a while.
“If things are going badly, the nights are harder, the day-to-day is harder.
“The job of a coach, and I’m not just saying this for myself but for all my colleagues, is 24/7. If not, you won’t get through it.
“The pressure on your shoulders is enormous, and you need people to lend a hand to put things into perspective, above all.
“You have to try to achieve stability when you have so many ups and downs and you’re up to your neck in everything.
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“A friend of mine, who I think defined me very well, once told me that I have three states as a person: euphoric, depressed, and absent. Those are my three states.
“So the point is to try to stay in the middle of these three.”
Guardiola showed how the stress got to him while City did not win any major silverware last term.
Before the Club World Cup, the ex-Barcelona and Bayern chief revealed he struggled to eat during a miserable campaign.
And as he heads into a tenth season in charge of City, Guardiola has the hunger to reclaim that winning feeling.
He told GQ magazine in Spain: “I’m delighted to have failed.
As I am now I’m 75 years old! I’m a wreck, everything hurts right now.
Pep Guardiola
“I love failures. In this society where everything has to be perfect, where you have to post your food on Instagram… ‘Oh, how good, how happy I am’.
“Every day we have to prove that we’re happy. Well, yes, I’m sad, I fail and I lose. So?”
Despite a struggle to qualify for the Champions League, Guardiola still signed an extension to his contract that now runs for a further two seasons.
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But he vows that by the end of the 2026-27 campaign he’ll be calling at least a temporary halt to the career – as he did after leaving Barca before joining Bayern in Germany a year later.
He said: “I know that after this stage with City I’m going to stop, that’s for sure. It’s decided, more than decided.
“I don’t know how long I’ll stop for… a year, two years, three years, five, 10, 15, I don’t know.
“But I will leave after this spell with City because I need to stop and focus on myself.”
I know that after this stage with City I’m going to stop, that’s for sure. It’s decided, more than decided.
Pep Guardiola
Guardiola has this summer brought in new signings Rayan Ait-Nouri, Rayan Cherki, Tijjani Reijnders, Sverre Nypan and James Trafford as part of his re-build of a squad last season that also aged badly.
And as City return to pre–season training he says he’s up for the fight again – no matter his emotional struggles, adding: “The important thing is to give it your all and do it well.
“And I haven’t given up on that… next year I’m going to do better. That’s what it’s all about.”
