Guardiola: We’re not thinking about big targets | OneFootball

Pep Guardiola says he is just focused on City’s upcoming challenges rather than looking to potential silverware at the end of the season.

City head to Liverpool in the Premier League on Sunday looking to arrest a run of form that has seen us go six matches without a win across all competitions.

That run has included three successive league defeats, leaving us second and eight points behind this weekend’s opponents.

Liverpool v City | Match preview

Under Guardiola, City have won 18 major honours in eight seasons and have become used to lifting the biggest prizes in football.

However, the boss says at this stage of the season he is always focusing on the short term.

“In the situation we have it isn’t realistic to think about big targets,” he said in Friday’s pre-match press conference.

“We think about one game, the good momentum to continue and that will come back.

“Even in the situations we’ve been in the past in November and December, to win the title is unrealistic but against a big team who have lost one game, in good form, powerful in both boxes.

“It’ll be difficult but there are a lot of games in a row, especially three in the Premier League.

WATCH: Pep Guardiola press conference | Liverpool A

“Always I think about it in April. Where we are now, it doesn’t matter what happens on Sunday.

“It’ll be difficult if we don’t take a result but there are lots of games to play.”

Liverpool are the only side other than City to win the Premier League in the last seven terms and we head to Merseyside with only one defeat in our last nine encounters.

This game represents Guardiola’s first clash with Arne Slot after a lengthy rivalry with Jurgen Klopp.

Slot has started well at Anfield, but Guardiola knows that a lot can change in a long season.

And our recent struggles have not affected the manager’s motivation to keep demanding the very best of his players.

“All we can do and I’ve learned from my life is move forward in the good and bad moments, it’s what you have to do,” he stated.

“I’ve said many times in a long career, you live all the situations.

WATCH: City's best Premier League moments at Liverpool

“Fortunately we have lived this rarely in the last eight or nine years, but I take it like normal.

“Of course I’m thinking what can I do to help the players but in the career for many years you live these situations. In the end we lost five games, should’ve won the last one, that happens in football.

“It’s the end of November so many months to play, we have to learn and learn and learn, succeeding is how many times you stand up when you fall.

“The result doesn’t change anything, but in three days after Liverpool we will play against Nottingham Forest we have to prove it.

“We still need 11 or 12 games winning in a row to prove we are stable, now it’s one game and won’t change how we are as a team.”

Liverpool v City app coverage

Our official app allows you to follow all of the action from Merseyside in one place.

Minute-by-minute text updates will begin in our Matchday Centre two hours before kick-off, while our Matchday Live show will begin at approximately 14:45 (UK).

Our Matchday Live show will feature presenter Cel Spellman and special guests David James and Joleon Lescott who will offer their expert insight before, during and after the action.

During the game you can also listen to live audio commentary from Alistair Mann and Michael Brown while our text commentary continues.

Make sure to have push notifications turned on as well, so you can be alerted to key moments in the action, including goals, red cards and the team news.

Short highlights from the match will be available from 19:45 (UK), whilst extended highlights from the encounter and a full-match replay [available via CITY+] can be accessed from midnight.