Pep Guardiola has suggested that he could be sacked by Manchester City should the club fail to beat Real Madrid in the last-16 of the Champions League.
The reigning Premier League champions have endured an indifferent campaign so far and have fallen a huge 22 points adrift of league leaders Liverpool in the title race, with the club’s priorities switching to cup competition and winning a maiden Champions League title this season.
Man City face a formidable task in the first knock-out round as they face 13-times winners Real Madrid, the club travelling to face the Spanish giants in the first leg at the Bernabeu on February 26.
Despite dominating domestically in recent seasons Guardiola’s side have failed to progress beyond the quarter-final stage of the Champions League since his arrival at the club three-and-a-half years ago, and the Spaniard has suggested that his position could be under threat should he fail to improve City’s record in Europe.
“I want to win the Champions League,” Guardiola told Sky Sports. “I dream (of it) and I will enjoy preparing for the games against Madrid, to see what we can do and this process, two weeks before, will be the happiest moments of my profession, to imagine what we can do to beat them.
“If we don’t beat them, OK, come the chairman or the sport director and say, ‘It’s not good enough, we want the Champions League, I’m going to sack you.’
“OK, (I’d say), ‘Thank you, it was a pleasure’. I don’t know (if this would happen). It has happened many times and could maybe happen.”
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