After exiting the Champions League quarter-finals for the third year in a row, Manchester City and coach Pep Guardiola unexpectedly found themselves at a crossroads.
Despite the criticism that Guardiola was subjected to for his cautious tactic of plans during the 3-1 loss to Olympique Lyon on Saturday, and questions about whether he was over complicating the task in Europe, there is no indication that the City administration has lost confidence in the Spanish coach. Guardiola managed to lead the team to a dazzling 2-1 victory inside and outside the home in the final price over Real Madrid, the Spanish league champions and 13-time European champions.
But the fact remains that Guardiola has only one year left in his contract with City, and although he had previously stated that he was "open" to the extension, he had not signed yet. But this is a problem for the club management, which is looking to develop and improve the team with many local titles during the past seasons.
It would be easy to decide Guardiola's position in favor of staying with the team, given the close relationship between him and football director Txiki Begiristen and CEO Ferran Soriano who worked together in Barcelona before.
However, preserving the brilliance of the team and enhancing its chances of being crowned in the Champions League for the first time in its history, requires a lot of work to do in the summer transfer period.
Guardiola has already started plans to renew the team even before leaving the Champions League, spending about $ 80 million to sign Spanish winger Ferran Torres from Valencia and Dutch center back Nathan Aki from Bournemouth.
Torres will be an effective substitute for Leroy Sane, who left City for Bayern Munich, but Aki is unlikely to be the only new defender in the team.
Defense has long been a problem for Guardiola at City, which was made clear on Saturday by the heavily criticized decision to play with three defenders due to fears of a lack of speed.
While Emric Laporte is one of the main players in Guardiola's defense options, the participation of 19-year-old Eric Garcia was a surprise given that he refused to extend his contract, and his return to Barcelona is highly expected.
Brazilian Fernandinho has switched to a defensive role instead of his primary position as a midfielder, but the 35-year-old is not a long-term solution.
Spanish coach John Stones and Nicolas Otamendi were left on the bench, and their departure will not be a surprise given Guardiola's loss of confidence in them.
City are seeking to sign Senegalese Napoli defender Calido Coulibaly, although signing the 29-year-old may not be easy to achieve.
It seems difficult to find a replacement for David Silva, who will leave the club after a decade of outstanding performances. Bernardo Silva was seen as the natural successor to the Spaniard, but he has been less prominent in Guardiola's plans this season.
Some reports have linked City to the talented Portuguese player, Joao Felix, of Atlético de Madrid, even though the 20-year-old moved to Spain from Benfica last year in a deal estimated at $ 130 million.
And there are still questions about the left-back position, which has not yet been controlled by Benjamin Mendy, as João Cancelo, who plays with his right foot, played this role against Real Madrid and Lyon, and there may be thinking about looking for a young striker to substitute for Sergio Aguero and Gabriel Jesus .
Although Guardiola challenged after yesterday's confrontation with Lyon to go to take a rest before returning to the dropouts, this step may be a luxury in these circumstances, as the Spanish coach is required to resolve the future of the late and upcoming players before the start of the new season, about a month from now.