For sake of clarity as to my views:
What Pep has achieved has been incredible. He’s cemented our position as the dominant club domestically and taken us some way forward in Europe.
That is no mean feat. But, I believe that what RM achieved was more difficult to do and I will always feel more indebted to him.
I saw City beat Newcastle At Wembley in 76 when I was a little over seven years old. For 35 years I never met a single blue who was younger than me that had seen us win a trophy in the flesh. At the Stoke match I sat there at Wembley again, aged 43. 43 and the youngest person there to have seen City win a trophy. 90 minutes later that dreadful mantle passed to someone far younger than me.
Six months later I was at Old Trafford seeing us hand out out the biggest derby hammering in living memory when they were top of the tree. Shifting the power. The visible shock.
With the passing of time it’s easy to forget what an achievement winning the title was.
Breaking that duck, building a team whose key components would be the basis on which a decade of success would be built by the next two managers. Rm signed 3 of the best players to ever wear a blue shirt.
Pep hasn’t signed one of the top ten.
To me those are feats that count more than the points records etc. that followed, incredible as they are.
I really hope Pep wins us the CL, because that will be unsurpassed in our history and will something achieved by very few clubs.
Until then I will personally feel more admiration for what RM delivered because I think it was more far difficult to do.
To answer the question, hopefully Pep will still be here in 5 years’ time. Byvthen a new coach will have emerged who’s the obvious choice. It would be great if it’s VK or another alumni. Patrick perhaps.
I can’t see Klopp managing another English Club. Rodgers clearly has something. Ancelotti probably too old. I expect there is a clear succession plan. The owners are too smart not to have their eye on someone. It certainly won’t and shouldn’t be RM. never go back.