Pep Guardiola believes Manchester City could sack him if they lose to Real Madrid in the Champions League.
City were drawn to face the record 13-time European Cup champions in the last-16 this season.
Guardiola has dominated the domestic game since his appointment as manager in summer 2016, but has not taken the club beyond the quarter-final stage in his three seasons in charge.
After reaching three successive Champions League semi-finals with Bayern Munich and not making the final since 2011 with Barcelona, Guardiola is under undue pressure to deliver on the European front with City.
Liverpool’s brilliance has seen the Spaniard’s supposed fraudulence reemerge, with Guardiola himself admitting his job could be on the line against Real.
“That’s why it is so difficult to win it,” he told Football Daily of City never having previous success in Europe. “And in 100 and more seasons of history for Manchester City, it was 100 seasons of failure – that is not true.
“There are many incredible players that made our fans happy, and (times when) our fans enjoyed part of the season. I know the people say ‘You are good’ or ‘You’re not good enough’.
“I accept it. I want to win the Champions League, I dream and will enjoy the games against Real Madrid, to see what I can do.
“And this process, the 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, then the chairman will come, or the sporting director, and say ‘It’s not good enough, we want the Champions League, I’m going to sack you’.
“Then ‘OK, thank you, it was a pleasure.’”
Asked whether he thought his job was under genuine threat based on the Real games, Guardiola replied: “I don’t know, many times it has happened. Or maybe he will say ‘OK you’ve done well, but what can we improve?’
“Since I arrived, that is what I have got from this club – what can we do, then do it better and do it better. That is the process.
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“Liverpool have spent four or five years to win the first title last season. It was a process – new players, the process, then invest more and more, and they are the best team in the world right now.
“Always people believe that you are Pep, or you are Jurgen, or another name, so you have to win all the titles, get two thousand million points, two thousand million goals.
“Sometimes it’s not possible. Sometimes there are opponents, sometimes you cannot do it because in no sport does one team win all the titles all the time. It’s impossible.
“We give a bad, bad message for the new generation, to our kids, to just count the winner, the trophies.
“You said the season would be a disaster, but if we win the Champions League it would be sensational. Why?”