Guardiola's departure marked the beginning of a nightmare for Man City.

With the title slipping out of their grasp, Pep Guardiola preparing to leave, and the futures of Rodri and Haaland becoming uncertain, Manchester City are facing their most dangerous summer in a decade.

Man City lost the Premier League title in the 2025/26 season to Arsenal.

Manchester City once gave the impression of being an unbreakable machine. Even when losing titles or going through shaky periods, they always made the rest of the Premier League believe that things would soon return to a winning trajectory.

But this time it was very different. The moment Arsenal officially won the title after Man City's 1-1 draw against Bournemouth didn't just close the Premier League race. It also felt like the end of an entire era.

The scenes at Vitality Stadium said it all. Jeremy Doku, Phil Foden, Rodri, and Erling Haaland all looked devastated after the final whistle. While Manchester City fans continued chanting Pep Guardiola's name and urging him to stay, the players themselves wore expressions of understanding that an era might be over.

That's the biggest worry for Man City right now. Losing the title isn't a disaster. However, losing Guardiola could trigger a domino effect that even a financially powerful club like Man City would find difficult to control.

Guardiola is not just the manager of Man City.

For many years, Man City wasn't simply built around Guardiola. They existed because of Guardiola. He didn't just bring titles. Guardiola created a winning ecosystem, where every player believed that as long as Pep was in charge, Man City always had the potential to dominate.

This makes Guardiola's departure far more dangerous than simply replacing a manager. Guardiola himself has avoided confirming his future, insisting he needs to speak with Ferran Soriano and Khaldoon Al Mubarak before making a final decision. But even those close to Man City understand that things are pretty much settled.

Pep will leave Man City after the 2025/26 season ends.

Joe Hart was right when he said the whole team was "emotionally exhausted." After almost a decade of winning every trophy, Man City are now beginning to show signs of a team reaching its limits. This fatigue is not only physical, but also psychological.

Guardiola understands that too. He has repeatedly said that maintaining the momentum of winning is harder than winning a title for the first time. And this season clearly reflects the feeling that Man City no longer holds the absolute dominance they once did.

Arsenal were younger, more energetic, and ultimately overcame them with the same tenacity that Guardiola himself had built at Etihad. The worrying thing is that Guardiola didn't leave alone.

Rodri and Haaland are making Etihad uneasy.

Rodri is the clearest example of that risk. The Spanish midfielder is under contract until 2027, but Real Madrid have renewed their interest as Guardiola's future has become uncertain. That's no coincidence.

Rodri has always been considered the tactical brain of Man City. He not only helps the team control the game, but also creates a sense of balance that no one else in the squad can completely replace.

This season, Rodri hasn't quite reached his best form after a serious knee injury. However, he still played 33 games, starting 26 times, and quickly regained his central role.

Real Madrid understands that value. Florentino Perez still wants to bring in a new "maestro" for the midfield, and Rodri is almost the perfect player for that plan.

Man City certainly don't want to lose him. They are ready to offer him a new contract with a significant salary increase before the World Cup. But what worries Etihad is that Rodri himself hasn't made a clear commitment.

"I'm only thinking about the club and the World Cup," Rodri said after the FA Cup final. That answer alone was enough to make Man City uneasy.

Haaland's future is uncertain.

But Erling Haaland's case is even more sensitive. In theory, Man City have secured the Norwegian striker's future with a contract until 2034, one of the biggest sporting deals in history and one that helped the club quell interest from both Real Madrid and Barcelona.

However, Haaland has never hidden the fact that Guardiola was an extremely important factor in his decision to stay at Etihad. Haaland himself once called Guardiola "the best coach in the world " and affirmed that the presence of the Spanish strategist made it easier for him to make the decision to stay.

This detail worries Man City the most. Because if Guardiola leaves, whether Haaland will still retain that same sense of belonging remains a big question.

Man City still possesses a world-class squad and superior financial resources. But top-level football has never been solely driven by money.

What Guardiola has created over the past decade is an almost absolute belief in victory. And when that belief begins to waver, things can change very quickly.

That's why the summer of 2026 isn't simply a transition period for Man City as a manager. It could be the moment that marks the end of Guardiola's entire empire at Etihad.

Source: https://znews.vn/guardiola-ra-di-con-ac-mong-bat-dau-with-man-city-post1652851.html