The greatest coach of all time finally looks as human as the rest

If City lose to Liverpool , their title defence is over before Christmas .

Liverpool must show no mercy to City, as they know that eventually, whether it is in days , weeks or months , City will be back to looking like their old selves.

Guardiola 's biggest problem now is that too many lingering issues have caught up with the team.

The absence of Rodri has been compounded by the fact the most recent midfield recruits have not been up to City ’s usual standard.

Guardiola could have quit at the end of this season with his legend secure, stepping aside for the next coach to reshape the next era of City success.

Instead, he sounded like a man who was already thinking about what he will leave behind.

Guardiola wants to leave City on the same terms and the poor run preceding his deal convinced him it was not the right time to walk into the Manchester sunset.

The Klopp revival did not lead to another Premier League title, but he must be as proud of leaving the club in such good health as of any of the trophies he lifted.