MANCHESTER, England — Pep Guardiola fought back tears on the sideline as he brought 10 years at Manchester City to an end on Sunday. His final game ended in a 2-1 loss to Aston Villa on a day charged with emotion as he said goodbye to the fans he gave so much joy during a decade of dominance in English soccer. “I never could have imagined the amount of love I’ve found,” said Guardiola, standing in the center of the field at the Etihad Stadium and addressing the crowd. “It is an incredible, tremendous honor to be your manager, to be here 10 years.”The tears started long before the final whistle, with Guardiola welling up and rubbing his eyes as two of his most loyal servants, Bernardo Silva and John Stones, also said farewell and were given guards of honor when substituted in the second half. Then it was his turn to receive a guard of honor of his own. “This is the man who changed everything,” the stadium announcer said as Guardiola ran onto the field wearing khakis and a cream T-shirt, with fans cheering wildly. “10 more years,” they chanted, prompting Guardiola to shake his head in defiance. After 17 major trophies and records galore, on Friday he confirmed he could do no more. After turning City into the most dominant Premier League team of its generation and a champion of Europe for the first time, he said the time was right to hand over the reins. “I will not miss it for a while,” he said Sunday. “I feel deeply… it is the right decision.”Former Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca, who won the Club World Cup last year, is favorite to take over with an announcement possibly this week. Guardiola did not confirm his replacement, but said he would call his successor to offer advice.“Be yourself… be free with your ideas and work a lot. Everything will be fine,” he said.That is for another day. This day was about Guardiola and the chance for supporters to show their appreciation. “He means everything to me and this club. It’s a …
