Pep Guardiola still has one big thing to achieve before Man City exit and Liverpool can stop him

Liverpool will take on Man City this weekend, potentiallly for the final time with Pep Guardiola at the helm, and Arne Slot could really do with another statement win

Man City head coach Pep Guardiola on his last visit to Anfield.(Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images)

We have, of course, been here before. Pep Guardiola leaving Manchester City? It's probably best to believe it when you see it.

There have been a couple of periods previously where everyone collectively decided that he was off, only for him to stay. This time, though, it does feel possible that we could be inside the Spaniard's final few months in the Premier League; Jurgen Klopp left Liverpool after nine years in charge, and Guardiola could exit at a decade.

"We're watching Guardiola’s last dance in England," Jamie Carragher wrote in his Daily Telegraph column. "The clues are mounting up, pointing to the idea that he will end his Manchester City reign at the end of this season, with succession plans being formulated and his club’s recent transfer activity smacking of his hierarchy doing everything in its power to ensure he leaves with another trophy.

"Manchester City appear to be going out on a limb to make this season successful. Antoine Semenyo and Marc Guehi are big January deals to deliver right here, right now, which adds to the sense they are in a race against time.

"But he knows his current side has not yet fully matured enough. Like his great Premier League rival Klopp, there is a sense in the last few seasons of Guardiola feeling a responsibility to leave behind a reconstructed side for a successor rather than having his replacement start again."

And if this is to be the final stretch of Guardiola's time with Manchester City, then this weekend will mark his final trip to Anfield (at least in the Premier League; there is a small chance the pair could meet there in the FA Cup).

Liverpool boss Arne Slot and Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola(Image: Carl Recine/Getty Images)

At the Etihad Stadium, Guardiola has wiped the floor with Liverpool several times. Early on, his team beat Jurgen Klopp's 5-0 in Manchester when Sadio Mane was sent off.

John Stones' incredible goalline clearance — by just a couple of millimeters — was the difference in January 2019, and Manchester City won 4-0 when Liverpool was still celebrating winning the title. Earlier this season, just a couple of months ago, Guardiola beat Arne Slot's side with ease.

At Anfield, though, Guardiola's record is far from impressive. It remains the case that his only win at Anfield came when there were no fans inside the ground — taking away a major advantage that Liverpool has.

Guardiola has lost away at Liverpool when the Reds have been at various points in their progression. The 3-1 win en route to winning the league under Klopp saw the Reds at their peak, but even when they have been much worse, Manchester City has tended to struggle.

That goes back beyond Guardiola, of course. Manchester City's 4-1 win during the Covid period was its first victory in L4 in 18 years, only seven of which came before the Abu Dhabi takeover, and there have been no more since.

But having been pegged back so often by Liverpool, if this is to be Guardiola's last chance to win at Anfield when there are people there to see it, he will be desperate to take it.

In many ways, Liverpool has been central to his story in England. The best Manchester City has been seen when the best Liverpool has been there to compete with it and push it on.

As both sides attempt to get back to those heights again, this could be the last dance for a blockbuster fixture. It is up to Arne Slot to ensure that if this the final edition, Guardiola misses out on a dream ending.