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.

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has moved to clarify a light-hearted remark he made about wanting to harm himself following his team’s match in the Champions League.

"We will be back. We will do it," said Pep Guardiola after Manchester City's losing streak hit five games as the Etihad Stadium saw a home Premier League loss for the first time since022.