To be honest, I agree with the OP's assessment that we probably won't make the top four this season. With the squad in its current state and with the quality of teams like Brentford, Brighton, Fulham, Bournemouth, etc. I'm actually concerned about us finishing in the top half. But, like, we'll come again. A rebuild is badly needed but the rebuild will come. Next season will be better than this one and the one after that will likely be when we have a proper go at the title again, which would be the perfect note for Pep to end on.
I mean, fuck, Chelsea won the title in 2015, finished 10th in 2016, then won the league again in 2017. All it takes is a few new faces and a system that works for them and we're back on top of the tree again.
But more than anything, I'm just gutted that club legends like Ederson, Walker, Bernardo, De Bruyne, Gundogan, etc. haven't been allowed to bow out with a better season than this one. Instead, they've all been kept here past their best and have all gone over the hill simultaneously. It's sad to watch such amazing players, who have given us everything, struggling like mad just to stay afloat. They're being humiliated in a way that's turning fans against them and I'm not sure that's fair at all. The management of the squad has been strange.