Pep Guardiola was contemplating the future. Not a fifth successive Premier League title. Because, as he accepted, when a team is in run like Manchester City’s, they need one win before they can aim for bigger targets. But a manager who signed a two-year contract extension last week was looking into the longer term.
And, more than ever before, he accepted that it involves a rebuild. Guardiola committed himself to it, and not merely by putting pen to paper. He cited the reality that, six months ago, City were crowned champions, FA Cup finalists, a side only knocked out of the Champions League on penalties by Real Madrid. “But the football life changed in one thing and another,” he added.
