Pep Guardiola responds to rivals 'taking the p***' out of Man City losing

Pep Guardiola is well aware that everyone outside of his club is eagerly anticipating their downfall. However, he’s prepared to overhaul the team that has secured the last four Premier League titles to ensure he gets the final chuckle.

Anfield has always been a challenging venue for the Blues, and a loss against Liverpool would see Guardiola’s squad fall 11 points behind the leaders, jeopardising their chances of making further history. Despite signing a new two-year contract just over a week ago, Guardiola doesn’t expect any sympathy.

He believes this will provide him with ample time to assemble a team capable of ushering in another era of dominance. “As is normal in sport, they take the p**s and they laugh at your defeats,” the City manager remarked.

“At least there’s respect. There’s no violence or this kind of stuff.

“It is part of how nice football is that people can laugh at you when it’s not going well.

“I don’t enjoy it all. I don’t like it. I don’t sleep as good as when I win every game. But this shall pass. I don’t know when, but nothing is eternal.

“I know how we behave internally. We have proved we are an exceptional club.

“We celebrate – but not much because we respect the opponents. This is one of the things I like the most: how we behave in the good moments.

“At the right moment, the club – myself first – will take the decisions we have to take to maintain the club for many years to come. I want to be here. I asked to be here to try it.”

Guardiola has shrugged off the underdog tag ahead of their clash with Liverpool at Anfield, a ground where City have only clinched victory three times in 68 years. Despite a recent dip in form, including a shocking draw against Feyenoord after leading 3-0, Guardiola remains unfazed.

He reflected on past experiences, saying: “Being favourites has never been enough (at Anfield) because the only time we won there was in Covid time when there were no people there. So nothing has changed much, I would say.

“Whenever I have played in my career, even in Barcelona with extraordinary players, being favourites never gave us an extra boost. It doesn’t mean you start the game at 1-0 and you’re going to play better.

“We will do what we have to do and then see what happens.”