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.

Manchester City’s collapse in the last few weeks has been as epic as it has been shocking. Five straight losses and a six-game winless run is not what you would associate with the reigning Premier League champions.