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A frustrated Manchester City fan has made a sensational call to sack manager Pep Guardiola following their UEFA Champions League exit. The Sky Blues were beaten 6-5 on aggregate in the semi-finals by Real Madrid.
Despite their heavy spending on players, City have failed to win the Champions League under Guardiola. The Spaniard, who took charge of City in 2016, has lifted more titles than any manager in the club's history, but his failure in Europe has stuck out like a sore thumb.
Manchester City have only reached one final under him in six years, losing 1-0 to Chelsea in the Porto showpiece last year. They almost sealed a second consecutive final, leadung Los Blancos 5-3 on aggregate going into the 90th minute.
However, a dramatic late fightback saw the La Liga champions hit back twice before Karim Benzema settled the contest from the penalty spot in extra time. As the Premier League champions mull over yet another European setback, one of their fans has urged the club to give Guardiola the boot.
In an astonishing rant, 'Man City Sam' told talkSPORT:
"The board need to re-evaluate. We need a manager that wins at this level. We’ve done everything at domestic level, but we can’t do it in the Champions League. We need a manager who can perform."
Having lost out in all cup competitions this season, Manchester City's only shot at silverware is now the Premier League. The holders are a point ahead of Liverpool with just four games remaining and are closing in on a fourth league title in five years.
Manchester City manager admits Champions League defeat hard to take
Underfire Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has admitted that it will take him and his team some time to get over their Champions League heartbreak.
After the semifinal second leg at the Santiago Bernabeu, which City lost 3-1 to lose 6-5 on aggregate, he said (as per the aforementioned link):
"We need one or two days, but we will rise, we will come up. We will have do so, with our people. We did everything we could. We were really, really close, but in the end we could not do it."
Guardiola continued:
"We were so close to reaching a Champions League final. We didn’t play that good in the first half, but we were much better in the second half; we controlled the game, and we found the goal. Unfortunately, we could not finish (it) when we were close."
Manchester City will return to action on Sunday with a league clash against Newcastle.
