Emmanuel Petit thinks Mikel Arteta would be the ‘best possible replacement’ for Pep Guardiola amid Man City’s current dip in form.
The reigning Premier League champions have failed to win all six of their last matches, with woes worsening for the club following their 3-3 Champions League draw with Feyenoord on Tuesday night.
City had looked set to claim all three points after a brace from Erling Haaland and goal from Ilkay Gundogan.
Yet the 2023 champions collapsed in the closing stages, with Feyenoord scoring three late goals to earn a draw.
Man City boss Pep Guardiola was left frustrated after his side’s Champions League draw with Feyenoord
PA
Guardiola recently signed a new contract at City, with the former Barcelona and Bayern boss penning a two-year extension.
Yet Petit, speaking to Prime Casino, thinks the iconic manager is starting to look tired – and has recommended Arteta as his replacement.
“Pep Guardiola has begun to show signs of tiredness in the last two years and you can sometimes see that he is lacking energy,” he said.
“Jurgen Klopp leaving Liverpool was a huge blow for Guardiola because he had that competition to push him to be at his very best.
“He’s not a worse manager now but I think he does look tired and mentally it takes a lot of energy to be a manager at the highest level.
“The best possible replacement for Guardiola could be Mikel Arteta.
“He knows the club and he knows the philosophy which he has tried to repeat at Arsenal.
“Things move so fast and anything can happen in football, Arteta could step into Guardiola’s shoes but City wouldn’t be the only club interested in him.”
On Tuesday, City fans booed Guardiola at full time.
Having become so accustomed to achieving success, it’s certainly a shock to see the reigning Premier League champions struggling so much.
To make matters worse, City are set to face Liverpool at Anfield on Sunday.
Arne Slot’s side have been nothing short of sensational this season and are currently eight points clear of City at the top of the Premier League table.
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Man City have been urged to pursue Mikel Arteta as a potential replacement for Pep Guardiola
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And Guardiola, speaking after his side’s failure to beat Feyenoord, admitted his team were ‘fragile’ at the current moment in time.
“We lost a lot of games lately, we are fragile and of course, we need a victory,” he said.
“It’s not about no run or no commitment, but football you have to be [switched on] in certain moments to do it. Difficult to swallow right now.”
He continued: “The game was good for the confidence, we were playing at a good level and then for the first time something happened, we have problems.
Man City boss Pep Guardiola has admitted his side are ‘fragile’ following their Champions League draw with Feyenoord
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“Everybody knows the situation, we don’t have to adapt anything. Tomorrow [Wednesday] we have to train, recovery then prepare the next game. We have two or three days to prepare for that and go for it. We will learn for the future.
“It has been a really difficult season for us for many circumstances and today, unfortunately, the game was well done, we punished them in the right moments.
“The team was so committed to so many things. But unfortunately, something happened and we were not strong enough. We have to avoid these mistakes.”