Manchester City will not replace manager Manuel Pellegrini next season, despite the club’s disappointing results both domestically and in Europe.

City currently trail league leading Chelsea by five points in the Premier League with ten games left to play (Chelsea have eleven games left having played one less game). The club is also on the brink of elimination from the Champions League knockout stages after a 2-1 defeat to Barcelona two weeks ago.

A section of fans and the media have cast doubt over Pellegrini’s future at the club should the Chilean fail to win a trophy with City this season. Most point to the fact that former Manchester City boss Roberto Mancini was sacked for going trophyless exactly one year after having led the club’s to its first-ever Premier League title.

However, that assessment isn’t 100% correct.

Mancini was fired because Manchester City were falling apart under his leadership. The performances on the pitch following their title-winning season in 2012 were only symptoms of a massive underlying problem.

The Italian’s personality was wearing on City’s players and his perceived negative tactics didn’t fit well with the club’s ambition of playing “attractive” football. There were issues in the dressing room and performances on the pitch were suffering. So City officials decided to end Mancini’s successful, but tumultuous, reign in England.

The club’s CEO Ferran Soriano and director of football Txiki Begiristain, who are both former Barcelona employees, were instructed to find a manager who would be part of a major project in Manchester. They were given the responsibility of finding someone who would bring an entertaining style of football to the Etihad while fostering a calmer environment off the pitch. Their choice was Manuel Pellegrini.

Of course, a club with City’s massive financial backing will aspire to win trophies every season. But the people in charge understand every project has its ups and downs. They also know chopping and changing a manager every other season will make it difficult to have stability at the club. That’s why Pellegrini’s job at City is safe for next season.

Some of Europe’s top managers have been linked with the Manchester City job. Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti, Atletico Madrid boss Diego Simeone and Bayern Munich’s Pep Guardiola are the biggest names on the list of rumored replacements.

While Simeone is one of the hottest properties in football and Ancelotti’s resume speaks for itself, neither manager’s style of football fits the philosophy City officials are seeking for the club.

Because of his Barcelona roots, Pep Guardiola is seen by many to be the perfect fit for Soriano and Begiristain’s vision of Manchester City.

However, the Bayern Munich boss has a year remaining on his current deal and has consistently stated he will finish his contract with the German club. So the former Barcelona manager will not be taking over the reigns of the Premier League club next season.

Speculation is inevitable and questions will be continue to be asked about Guardiola’s future in Germany until the manager signs an extension with the Bundesliga champions. Still, the likelihood of him leaving a club the size of Bayern Munich is remote, especially after spending so much time and effort bringing his philosophy to the German side.

Could Manuel Pellegrini be replaced by Pep Guardiola in 2016? The answer is of course is “yes”.

Nevertheless, unless City’s performances drastically decrease next season, the Chilean boss will remain in the blue half of Manchester past his current deal with the club.

For now, Pellegrini isn’t concerned with the speculation surrounding his job. He’s simply focused on the task that was presented to him last season.

“It’s a project and it’s how you manage this project,” the manager said when asked if his job was in jeopardy. “Every project can have difficult moments. I think you have the wrong opinion about the owners of this club.”

“They are not so desperate to win titles, they want to improve. They do want to win titles, but they want to do a complete work.”

“Maybe you are wrong about what I think also. I want to win titles, and I’ve done it in South America and here. But for me it’s not just about winning titles.”

“I can win the title, but if I’m not happy with my team, maybe I will not continue at a club. So there are a lot of things [to consider] in the way I analyze my management – it’s not just to win titles.”

“It’s very important to win titles, but what just as important for me is the way you won them.”