The confirmation that Pep Guardiola is stepping down as Manchester City manager after a glittering 10-year stay has sent shockwaves through English football, and nowhere is the reaction more visceral than among the supporters of rival clubs. For many, the sentiment is less of admiration and more of relief—a chance, perhaps, to finally break free from the shadow cast by one of the sport's most transformative figures. In conversations gathered by BBC Sport, fans from Manchester United, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea offered a window into how Guardiola’s dominance not only shaped City’s trophy haul but also warped their own club’s ambitions, triggering a mix of jealousy, grudging respect, and unvarnished glee at his departure.
Manchester United supporters are perhaps the most transparent in their delight. After years of watching their cross-city rivals hoover up silverware, the announcement felt like a replay of May 2013, when Sir Alex Ferguson retired and a collective exhale rippled across the league. "Now, with City confirming Guardiola is on his way out, the feeling is mutual," noted Alex Turk of Turk Talks FC, echoing the relief that accompanied Ferguson’s exit. While acknowledging a layer of respect—Guardiola, after all, saw four United managers hired and fired without ever demeaning the club—the overarching hope is for a City hangover. That optimism was fueled by the near-simultaneous announcement that Michael Carrick had been appointed Manchester United’s permanent head coach, raising dreams of a power shift in Manchester. "If United and Carrick get it right this summer, there is a serious opportunity for the hierarchy of power in Manchester to change," Turk added. The subtext is clear: just as United faltered post-Ferguson, City might now suffer a similar fate.
From Liverpool, the tone is more melancholic. Josh Sexton of The Anfield Wrap admitted to a surprising sense of sadness, framing Guardiola as a "long-time nemesis" whose exit truly closes a chapter. The rivalry between Guardiola’s City and Jürgen Klopp’s Liverpool defined an era, pushing both teams to unprecedented heights—90-plus points became almost routine in their duels. With Klopp having left Anfield in 2024, Guardiola’s departure feels like the final note of that symphony. Liverpool fans, however, can find solace in the lowered bar: Arsenal won the Premier League this season with a maximum of 85 points, a tally that would have barely sufficed in the years of the two titans. "Guardiola moving on means the barrier to entry for a title race is likely to not be as high," Sexton reflected, suggesting that a talented Liverpool squad might not be far from contending again. Yet there’s an undercurrent of gratitude—not for the defeats, but for the standards set, which will be remembered as some of the highest the English game has ever seen.
Arsenal’s fanbase, fresh off their own Premier League triumph, express something closer to sheer elation. Laura Kirk-Francis of the Latte Firm podcast described the twin feelings of winning the title and hearing of Guardiola’s exit as "two weights lifted off me." It’s a sentiment born of painful near-misses: in the previous two seasons, Arsenal pushed City to the wire only to fall short, and Guardiola’s machine became a symbol of their inadequacy. "His City side have caused me so much grief, especially over the past few seasons, that I am celebrating his departure," she said, acknowledging that much of her negativity is jealousy—jealousy of the "juggernaut he created" and the winning mentality it embodied. For Arsenal, finally toppling that juggernaut is made sweeter by the fact that Guardiola stayed long enough to witness it. Still, the rawness remains: "In time, I might be able to look back and appreciate the magnitude of his achievements, but so many of them have come at the expense of my beloved Arsenal that it is still too raw." The hope now is that Arsenal fill the vacuum and establish their own period of dominance.
Chelsea supporters view the news through a different lens—one of decline and identity crisis. Will Faulks of Chelsea News recalled the high of beating Guardiola’s City at the Etihad in 2017 to secure the title under Antonio Conte, but noted that it proved a false dawn. Since then, Chelsea have watched City hoover up six league crowns while they themselves have serially underperformed, with managers often sacked for failing to compete with or replicate Guardiola’s model. The Catalan’s influence seeps deep into Stamford Bridge: this week’s appointment of Xabi Alonso as permanent head coach was publicly tied to a style of football linked to Enzo Maresca—a Guardiola disciple and former assistant—who is, tellingly, expected to replace Guardiola at City. Faulks argued that Chelsea’s sporting directors are chasing an identity that traces straight back to Guardiola, a testament to his immeasurable impact. It’s a bittersweet association: while Guardiola’s philosophy has reshaped expectations across the Premier League, for Chelsea it has often felt like a yardstick they could never measure up to.
Collectively, the reactions underscore Guardiola’s status as a league-altering force. Since arriving in 2016, he has not only stockpiled 20 trophies (including a record-breaking 100-point season) but has also redefined the tactical paradigm—possession-based dominance, inverted full-backs, relentless pressing—in a way that forced every rival to adapt or perish. The constant churn of managers at clubs like Chelsea, and even the exhausting title races at Liverpool and Arsenal, can be traced to the Catalan’s demand for perfection. Yet his legacy remains entangled with the 115 Premier League charges against City for alleged financial rule breaches, a shadow that tempers any unreserved praise. For many fans, admiration is couched in the hope that a post-Guardiola City will be diminished, especially if those charges yield punishment.
The managerial landscape is already shifting in response. United’s faith in Carrick, Chelsea’s bet on Alonso via the Maresca pathway, and even Arsenal’s new-found confidence under their own project all signal a league ready to move on. Yet replicating Guardiola’s consistency is a daunting task; his City side never finished below second until this season, and that was partly due to a transition year. The incoming Maresca will inherit a squad of immense talent but also the pressure of a club possibly facing sanctions. How City navigate this moment will define whether the rival glee is premature or prescient.
Ultimately, Guardiola leaves behind a top flight craving equilibrium. Scoring totals may drop, title-winning points hauls may revert to historical norms, and the sheer terror of facing a City machine engineered by one of history’s greatest coaches will fade. But the psychological scar tissue on rival fanbases will take longer to heal. As United, Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea look to a future without him, they do so with a wary optimism, knowing that his shadow will loom over the league for years. Based on reporting from BBC Sport.
