Pep Guardiola reveals why he isn’t ‘running out of energy’ like Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp

Pep Guardiola has said his ability to ‘disconnect’ from football is the reason he might remain in the Premier League for several more seasons.

The 53-year-old claimed on Friday that he would consider extending his contract beyond its expiry in 2025, in the wake of the shock news that Jurgen Klopp is set to leave Liverpool. The German announced last week that he is set to depart at the end of the season and said he is ‘running out of energy’ after just over eight years in charge on Merseyside.

Should Guardiola stay until 2025, he will have been at the Etihad for nine years and clearly feels he has more to offer. The secret behind the Manchester City manager’s longevity, he explained on Tuesday, is a mixture of delegating, switching off and the determination he still sees from his team.

“I do the normal things. I have incredible staff who support me and sometimes do the jobs if I am too tired to do after many years,” Guardiola said, ahead of Wednesday's clash against Burnley.  “I am a more quality manager in terms of I select better the time to work and to disconnect.

“Winning helps you to have more energy,” he added. “When you are losing games you are more tired. I see the team getting better and playing difficult opponents like Goodison Park after the [Club] World Cup, or Newcastle or Spurs away, and seeing how the team behaved gave me - wow we are still together, we are on the same path. That gives you energy. 

“Energy, you do not switch it on or off. You have to bring energy every day with what you live in your personal life and many things. That is what I am living now.”

Guardiola’s refreshed and focused outlook contrasts with the end of his four-year spell in Barcelona, when he left in 2012 claiming he felt ‘drained’ by the demands of the Catalan club. But as he approaches the end of his 15th season as a manager, Guardiola said he has learnt that the job does not need to be all-consuming.

“When I started in Barcelona I was like that [obsessed] but now I can stay on the sofa watching TV and don't think about football. That helps me because after I have more desire to reconnect. 

“Before I was all the time thinking because I thought I was missing something or not professional enough and I understand that was a mistake and it's better to have the quality for what you want to do. 

“When you play every three days, when you play one game a week it is not a problem but for many many years you have to know yourself better and adjust. In those terms I learned. It is simple. It is the process.

“Before it was 24 hours,” he added. “Now I don't need 24 hours to prepare the games because I arrive better at the right moment to be in front of the players.”

Guardiola also claimed he has ‘everything that a manager could dream of’ at City, with the pressure at Barcelona ‘a thousand times higher’. It explains why the three-time Champions League winner would consider signing a new deal in Manchester, although it’s not a decision he has no plans to make soon.

“I think we have time. Now I feel really good like always I have been, but football changes a lot. I have my opinion that when you have a year and a half left on your contract it is a lot, a lot of time in world football. We have time.”

Asked how long he will need to consider before signing a new deal, Guardiola replied: “Normally the decision is quick. I trust my feelings and instincts and every time they offer, of course my family is involved but, not much time. When I feel it is ok, I feel good, they want me, okay.

“We have time to sit and talk and see how both sides feel. We are so clear between the club and myself in that terms. It will not be a problem if we have to continue or not to.”