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.

On current form, it’s objectively difficult to argue against the notion that Liverpool are the best team in world football. The Merseysiders remain undefeated in the new Champions League format after the 2-0 victory over incumbent champions Real Madrid.