That lighthearted Pep Guardiola moment that should excite Man City fans

Pep Guardiola didn't get animated very often during his Manchester City press conference but one question saw him open up.

You know Pep Guardiola is enjoying himself in a press conference at Manchester City when the wink comes out. The Catalan will crack a joke, pick out a face in the audience and wink. It is all part of the theatre.

But he doesn't always enjoy these scenarios and on a Friday afternoon, he can be slow to warm up, only really engaging as we get deeper into the press conference.

Maybe it's more pronounced straight after an international break, because the City boss was monosyllabic at the start of his pre-Everton press conference. Offering one or two-word answers and showing little appetite for offering an opinion on anything put to him.

That all changed when Carles Planchart's name came up. Planchart, a performance analyst who worked with Guardiola for 18 years at Barcelona, Bayern Munich, and City, said last week that his old boss should consider leaving the Etihad to begin a new project.

Planchart's view is that a project can only last five or six years and that Guardiola should leave now to "regenerate" and get ready to go again elsewhere.

When asked about Planchart's comments, Guardiola agreed with the assessment but added that he would start to think about taking a break in 2035.

What followed was a nuanced answer about why he still had the hunger to succeed in Manchester, how he felt he could still connect with and improve his players, how the project has been altered around him through recruitment and changes to his coaching staff, and his relationship with the club and the environment they have created to allow him to thrive.

Having looked disinterested in the first few minutes, the Catalan was now coming alive, speaking in great detail and offering a counterpoint to Planchart's comments, which he clearly broadly agreed with.

When the inquisitor said the press pack were relieved to hear Guardiola wasn't going to leave, he shot back "I don't think so," with that mischevious smile and a little wink. When the questions kept coming, he joked "I have the feeling you want to sack me!"

It was Guardiola at his best, interesting, open and having fun. An injury bulletin and questions about Premier League rules not allowing Jack Grealish to face his parent club hadn't got him going, but this topic seemed to stir something in him. He is often at his best when defending the club he works for or singing their praises, and this fell into the latter category.

In among it all, it became clear that the 54-year-old still believes he has plenty to offer at the Etihad. At the end of this stretch of games before the international break, Guardiola will celebrate an iconic milestone as he takes charge of his 1,000th game as a manager.

Not many in his profession reach that number, and he will be just the 39th in England to enter the League Managers' Association's Hall of Fame 1,000 club.

You don't stay in the game for as long as that without a passion and a hunger for it, and listening him to lightheartedly dismiss Planchart's advice on Friday was a reminder that he has plenty more still to offer.