Pep Guardiola has less than 18 months to run on his Manchester City contract and the next move of the finest manager of his generation will be keenly anticipated.
Guardiola has masterminded a period of domestic dominance at City that stands alongside his phenomenal trophy hauls at Bayern Munich and his boyhood club Barcelona.
City and Barcelona's common links have generated plenty of headlines recently, following the return of Pep's old ally Joan Laporta as club president and Ferran Torres' transfer to Camp Nou.
Despite any turbulence caused by these and other factors, Guardiola remains fondly remembered for his exploits as a player and coach in Catalonia.
In the MEN’s latest Facebook Live, City is Ours writer and presenter Alex Brotherton was accompanied by Spanish football experts Roman de Arquer and Ruairidh Barlow to discuss how Barca fans view Pep Guardiola now.
AB: “He's been at City for an extraordinary amount of time now, given how long his other managerial spells have lasted.
“From a City point of view, it’s quite easy to have an insular view of Guardiola being this great coaching figure who has come and implemented his methods and ideology - one of the coaching greats. But, what is Pep’s standing amongst Barcelona fans now?”
RdA: “Just look at the titles he won here in Barcelona. How can fans not still love him? He’s still very well remembered. As a matter of fact, it was thought that Guardiola could be one of the managers to return.
“When Joan Laporta came back a couple of seasons ago. They were talking about the possibility of bringing Pep Guardiola back. But, of course, that was very unlikely to happen we all knew that.
“But, of course, we all got that little bit of hope. So, it still proves that a lot of people love Pep Guardiola plenty. Of course, there are always a little fraction of detractors or haters.
“That always happens in every club. That’s normal in the end. But, because they had [Lionel] Messi there were comments from some [suggesting] that without Messi all that wouldn't have been achieved.
“Barca still played amazing football. Pep proved he could be a fantastic manager without Messi at Bayern. Now, of course, he is doing it at City. In that sense, people still love him very much.
“They consider that he’s doing a great job. At Bayern Munich, he won a bunch of titles. At Man City, he’s done the same thing. Of course, there are critics always saying that he’s never won the Champions League. without Messi and Barcelona - is he going to manage it one day? He still has plenty of time and is a young manager who can improve his teams and try at other clubs.
“But, at City, he is doing a fantastic job. City are playing wonderful football. A lot of people were doubting whether he could bring that football to the Premier League.
“He’s been helped by having some of the best players in the world. That is, of course, important to show the best football you can. But, I think Pep Guardiola will always be loved here.
“And we would love to have him back if he decides to return sometime in the future. Whether it’s as a manager or some other sort of position. But, Pep is widely loved here.”
Were you disappointed Ferran left City for Barcelona? Follow our City is Ours team members Renuka Odedra and Alex Brotherton as well as Spanish football experts Roman de Arquer and Ruairidh Barlow on Twitter to join in the conversation and let us know your thoughts in the comments section below.
