Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is struggling to handle the pressure of the Premier League, according to former Arsenal midfielder Paul Merson.
The Spanish tactician arrived in England last summer for his first challenge in this league, but hasn’t lived up to expectations so far, with his side languishing in fourth place in the table, seven points off leaders Chelsea.
Guardiola was regarded as one of the best managers in the world after successful spells with Barcelona and Bayern Munich, but Merson believes he has come up against a much bigger challenge with City.
The 45-year-old gained attention this week for his sarcastic conduct in a post-match interview, and Merson believes this is a sign that he is struggling to deal with the demands of the English game.
‘The pressure is getting to him,’ Merson told Sky Sports. ‘He has managed at Barcelona and Bayern Munich where they were head and shoulders above the other teams in the league.
‘Now he has come into a league where you have to work for every game. It’s not 5-0 or 6-0 and sitting down and watching (Lionel) Messi get the ball and beat five players and score or (Robert) Lewandowski score every time the ball goes into the box. It’s hard for him and the pressure is telling.
‘We saw that last week in his interview with Rob at the end of the game. It wasn’t clever.
‘They are short and if you look at all the teams they are the ones in major danger of missing out on the top four, which would be a disaster.’
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