text: At the meeting in Paris between Pep Guardiola and Roman Abramovich in the summer of 2012, the former Barcelona coach made it clear that he craved stability. Abramovich’s track record with managers had not been good, dispensing with Claudio Ranieri, Jose Mourinho, Avram Grant, Luiz Felipe Scolari, Carlo Ancelotti and Andre Villas-Boas when he raged against results. Sensibly, Guardiola approached with caution. At Barcelona, his relationship with successive presidents, Joan Laporta and Sandro Rossell, had fluctuated wildly during Guardiola’s hugely successful spell as head coach. Pep Guardiola, the Bayern Munich coach, craves stability and chooses his clubs based on such assurances . Bayern's dominance of the German domestic scene means Guardiola may be tempted by a move this summer . Manuel Pellegrini's position at Manchester City is under threat as they fight for fourth place . Abramovich had been seduced by Barcelona’s football, the 14 titles that the club won during Guardiola’s four years in charge before he took off to New York with his family for a year-long sabbatical. Chelsea’s inner circle believed they had finally landed their man and Abramovich began recruiting players in anticipation of his arrival. Eden Hazard arrived from Lille for £32m and Oscar from Internacional for £25m. Marko Marin, a £7m capture from Werder Bremen, was another gamble. Then Abramovich blew the deal by firing his European Cup-winning coach the morning after a catastrophic 3-0 defeat in Turin against Antonio Conte’s Juventus. It turned out to be a painful lesson. Guardiola was spooked, pulling out of the deal to become Chelsea’s next manager the following day and decided instead to succeed Jupp Heynckes at Bayern Munich. Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich believed he had landed Guardiola in the summer of 2012 - but the then-Barcelona coach was spooked by the Russian's habit of hiring and firing managers . Expecting Guardiola to arrive, Abramovich recruited the likes of Eden Hazard (right) for £32m . Guardiola opted to join Bayern Munich instead and has maintained their dominance in the Bundesliga . BARCELONA . La Liga 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11 . Copa del Rey 2008-09, 2011-12 . Supercopa de Espana 2009, 2010, 2011 . UEFA Champions League 2008-09, 2010-11 . UEFA Super Cup 2009, 2011 . FIFA Club World Cup 2009, 2011 . BAYERN MUNICH . Bundesliga 2013-14 . German Cup 2013-14 . UEFA Super Cup 2013 . FIFA Club World Cup 2013 . This is precisely the scenario that is facing Manchester City as they weigh up what on earth they are going to do with a coach who can no longer motivate his players. It is an open secret that City want Guardiola to become their next manager, but the indications are that he will not be ready to leave Bayern Munich until 2016, when his three-year contract expires, at the very earliest. To wait 12 months or more for a manager who will have the top clubs in the Barclays Premier League falling at his feet when he announces that he will leave the Allianz Arena is a dangerous position to be in. Timing, as ever, is everything. According to the inside story on Guardiola’s first season at Bayern, there is an anecdote in the book Pep Confidential that indicates that he could see himself one day managing Manchester United. In the same book Guardiola also discloses that Txiki Begiristain, the former Barcelona winger who now works at City as the sporting director, also approached him in the summer of 2012. To appeal to Guardiola, he demands stability because he knows the training facilities, the stadium, the support and the financial power, through television rights, commercial arrangements and ticketing, is already in place. To fire Pellegrini with six games left of the Barclays Premier League season would be an admission by City’s owners that anything other than the Premier League trophy or the Champions League warrants a dismissal. City's place in the Premier League top four is under threat from Liverpool and Southampton . City slipped to a 4-2 loss to Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday, leaving them in fourth place . Pellegrini guided City to the Premier League trophy last season but they've fallen well short this time . That was Chelsea’s game before Mourinho returned, via spells at Inter Milan and Real Madrid, and they lost a lot of goodwill over it. City felt a mild tremor too when word got out that they were about to fire Roberto Mancini, the manager who led them to their first Premier League title, on the eve of the 2013 FA Cup final against Wigan. After that, City vowed to be different. After meekly surrendering their Premier League title and being given another chasing by Barcelona over two legs in the Champions League, it is clear that City have failed to make significant progress under Pellegrini. The concern now, especially after Liverpool’s 2-0 victory over Newcastle on Monday evening, is that the club could yet fall out of the top four. Even though City appear to have a favourable run-in against West Ham, Aston Villa, Tottenham, QPR and Swansea before the final game of the season against Southampton, there is a contingency plan open to them. Guardiola holds the European Cup after Barcelona's 3-1 win over Manchester United in the 2011 final . Guardiola is thrown in the air by his Barcelona players after their 2009 Champions League win . Patrick Vieira, currently in charge of City's Elite Development Squad, could take charge until May . Patrick Vieira, currently in charge of City’s Elite Development Squad, has the respect of the first-team players and could yet be parachuted in to see the season through. Fourth place is critical. The difficulty beyond that scenario is what to do beyond the end of the season because a club with City’s ambitions cannot limp on for another 12 months in the hope that Guardiola becomes available. He demands consistency, a stable environment to allow him to work with his players on the training ground, preparing for a match every three days. That is the cycle for Guardiola at Bayern, picking the bones out of their 3-0 victory over Eintracht Frankfurt at the weekend before moving on to the Champions League quarter-final against Porto in Estadio do Dragao. He is always looking ahead, much like the chess grandmaster Garry Kasparov after they became friends during Guardiola’s year in New York. For Manchester City, it is down to them to make the next move.
target: Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich believed he had Pep Guardiola in 2012 .
  But the Spaniard was spooked by Abramovich's regular hiring and firing .
  Guardiola craves the stability he has found at Bayern Munich .
  And he will seek similar assurances should he join Manchester City .
  Pellegrini's time at the Etihad appears to be drawing to a close .
  City are clinging on to fourth spot in thePremier League .
  READ: Patrick Vieira has all the tools to become next Man City manager .