Pep Guardiola is set for an emotional return to the Etihad Stadium next week, with the former Manchester City manager expected to attend the match against Paris Saint-Germain in a public show of support for the club.
In the dressing room
Guardiola’s visit will be his first at City’s home ground since bringing a ten-year reign in Manchester to an end. He left having delivered six Premier League titles and the club’s first Champions League crown, among the major honours of an era that changed the scale of the club.
Now without a job, the Catalan will return at a difficult moment. City have been found guilty following an independent commission’s verdict into 115 financial irregularities, and Guardiola has already made clear where his loyalties lie.
A day after the decision was confirmed, he issued a message to supporters declaring his backing for the club, its ownership, chairman, Ferran Soriano, players, staff, Enzo Maresca and the fanbase.
“I want every Manchester City supporter to know that I am here, more than ever,” Guardiola said. “I have always been, I am and I always will be behind my club, my owner, my chairman, Ferran, the players, the staff, Enzo and you, our extraordinary supporters. Let me be clear: we will get through this together. I love you all.”
The PSG occasion will therefore be Guardiola’s second public intervention since the verdict, and an appearance that is certain to bring a familiar face back into view at a club still adjusting to life after his departure.
A hard return to work
City’s players are due back at training on Thursday following the international break. Maresca will face the media that day, with attention quickly turning from the wider uncertainty around the club to a sizeable domestic assignment.
Two days later, City travel to Anfield to meet Liverpool. It is the sort of fixture that rarely allows much time for reflection, particularly when the league season begins to gather its usual autumn weight.
Guardiola’s return against PSG comes after that trip to Merseyside, giving City a demanding week in which the football will carry on while the consequences of the commission’s ruling remain close to every conversation around the club.
