Guardiola: My teams are normally top of the table

Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola has acknowledged that he is not used to trailing other teams in the table, but refuses to throw in the towel just yet.

City have fallen down to fifth and 10 points behind Chelsea in the race for the Premier League title following their 1-0 defeat at the hands of Liverpool on Saturday.

However, Guardiola remains positive and is ready to take on the challenge.

“Normally I was at the top in Barcelona and Bayern Munich, a lot of times. But, OK, this is a new chapter in my career as manager and I am willing to try [and handle it] with these guys,” Guardiola said ahead of Monday’s match with Burnley.

“But the question is will we be able to take it to the gap to Chelsea.

“Now what we have to do is believe in the next game, not put a lot of stress into, ‘if we don’t win the Premier League, it’s going to be not a good season’.

“No, that situation we’re going to analyse what happened at the end of the season. Now we just focus on the next game.”

Kevin De Bruyne was one of the players who failed to impress in Saturday’s loss versus Liverpool, but Guardiola has dismissed suggestions the Belgium international is tired following his Euro 2016 participation.

“Until now Kevin has played amazing, the last game in Hull [City] for example, and I don’t think it was that he is tired,” Guardiola added.

“Right now he’s tired because we played three or four days ago [last Monday] and we play [this Monday] so that is normal, but I think when you see against Arsenal he was not far away, in how he arrived and how he created. I don’t think he’s tired.

“Always when we lose we are complaining that they are tired. Physical, I think that is the last problem.”