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.

Pep Guardiola has said he has to "prove himself" all over again after Manchester City's six-game winless run and added the only reason there are not more questions about whether he should be sacked is because he's won six Premier League titles.

Manchester City have lost three Premier League matches on the spin as they prepare to travel to Anfield, where league leaders Liverpool have a chance to open up an 11-point gap