It is just over a week since City confirmed Guardiola had signed a two-year contract extension to 2027.
He has no regrets over the deal and neither has the club after an unprecedented run of success since his arrival in 2016 that includes a record four successive top-flight titles and a historic Treble in 2023.
“In a decade of time, we have been here,” he said. “Tell me which team around the world has been as consistent in 10 years… It doesn’t exist. Not in NBA, not in tennis, not in golf, not in any sports.”
Guardiola must try to lift the confidence of his players, not just for the test against league leaders Liverpool, but for the challenges that come afterwards.
City have also slipped out of the top eight in the Champions League and are facing a February play-off to preserve their place in the competition if the situation does not change in their final three first-phase games.
“We will be back, I know that,” he said. “I don’t know when.
“In the situation we are in, it is not realistic to think about big targets. The situation is to think about the next game and what I can do to help the players.
“I don’t want to run. I asked for this opportunity. I want to be there and rebuild the team in many aspects from now on until the end of the season and next season.”
City are currently in second place in the Premier League table, with one point more than Chelsea, Arsenal and Brighton.