In the last two summers, City have postponed much of the rebuild; two of the six recruits in that time are now in the band of 30-somethings. And while Guardiola said it was harder to be stable defensively without a quartet of centre backs and two holding midfielders, arguably he only has one: Mateo Kovacic does not covet that role.

There is a powerful reason why Pep Guardiola decided to sign a two-year contract extension at Manchester City rather than the 12 months that was expected a few weeks ago.Guardiola cannot leave City like this.

Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City are in a rough patch, but their manager isn’t giving much away. Heading into Sunday’s clash at Anfield, Guardiola remains tight-lipped on injury updates, a move that may be as tactical as his game plan.