Now I have to prove myself - Guardiola

Manchester City brag Pep Guardiola says helium wants to "prove" helium tin resistance the nine retired of their existent slump.

City caput to Anfield connected Sunday to look Liverpool disconnected the backmost of losing 5 consecutive matches successful each competitions and tossing distant a 3-0 pb to gully with Feyenoord successful the Champions League connected Tuesday.

Defeat connected Merseyside would permission them 11 points adrift of Arne Slot's broadside successful the Premier League table.

Guardiola says successful the contiguous concern it is "unrealistic" to look astatine longer word targets similar the anticipation of winning the league title.

Instead, helium is focusing connected his ain publication and the content that, arguably, however helium deals with the contiguous concern is simply a greater trial of his managerial abilities than the 18 trophies helium has won astatine City.

"Of people it's not bully but what bash you expect? That everything is reddish carpet? That everything is bully and easy?" helium said.

"It's casual erstwhile you are [winning] 10, 12 games successful a row, everyone is fit, everyone is successful their premier and everyone is 26, 27, 28. When everything is going well, that is easy.

"I person to beryllium myself now."

To perceive Guardiola speaking successful specified stark presumption is arsenic staggering arsenic City's form.

The erstwhile Barcelona and Bayern Munich brag is the unquestioned top manager of his generation. For some, helium is the champion of each time.

Yet listening to him code City's illness successful signifier was spellbinding and helium adjacent raised the spectre of what mightiness hap if helium is incapable to halt the existent downturn successful fortunes.

"In agelong careers - nine, 10, 11 years - you unrecorded each the situations," helium said.

"We mislaid 5 games, drew the past 1 erstwhile we should person won, but it happens successful shot sometimes.

"[I person to] judge it. No complaining, nary blaming, nary pointing. Don't tally distant from your responsibility. I person perfectly each connected my shoulders. I person it and I privation it.

"At this shot nine you person to win. If you don't, you volition beryllium successful trouble. I cognize the radical accidental 'why is Pep not successful trouble, wherefore is Pep not sacked?' I person this borderline due to the fact that of what we person done implicit the past 8 years. The radical trust connected me.

"What's for definite is I privation to stay. But the infinitesimal I consciousness I americium not affirmative for the nine different 1 volition come."

It is conscionable implicit a week since City confirmed Guardiola had signed a two-year declaration hold to 2027.

He has nary regrets implicit the woody and neither has the nine aft an unprecedented tally of occurrence since his accomplishment successful 2016 that includes a grounds 4 successive top-flight titles and a historical Treble successful 2023.

"In a decennary of time, we person been here," helium said. "Tell maine which squad astir the satellite has been arsenic accordant successful 10 years... It doesn’t exist. Not successful NBA, not successful tennis, not successful golf, not successful immoderate sports."

Guardiola indispensable effort to assistance the assurance of his players, not conscionable for the trial against league leaders Liverpool, but for the challenges that travel afterwards.

City person besides slipped retired of the apical 8 successful the Champions League and are facing a February play-off to sphere their spot successful the contention if the concern does not alteration successful their last 3 first-phase games.

"We volition beryllium back, I cognize that," helium said. "I don't cognize when.

"In the concern we are in, it is not realistic to deliberation astir large targets. The concern is to deliberation astir the adjacent crippled and what I tin bash to assistance the players.

"I don't privation to run. I asked for this opportunity. I privation to beryllium determination and rebuild the squad successful galore aspects from present connected until the extremity of the play and adjacent season."

City are presently successful 2nd spot successful the Premier League table, with 1 constituent much than Chelsea, Arsenal and Brighton.