Even without that elusive Champions League, Pep Guardiola and Manchester City are viewed by nearly all as the team to beat in European football. Four Premier League crowns in the last five seasons unsurprisingly saw them once again named as title favourites this season, and that was before taking into account the signing of Erling Haaland.
City are eight points adrift of league leaders Arsenal and have suffered two costly defeats in the space of four days, and the champions are still tipped by most to leapfrog Mikel Arteta's side by the close of the campaign. But for Guardiola, silverware no longer matters after the surprise Carabao Cup exit to Southampton was followed by the controversial Manchester derby defeat.
Speaking after the 2-1 defeat at Old Trafford, he told BT Sport: "I don't care about the Premier League and the Carabao Cup, we cannot win. We won a lot, so it's not a problem."
