I heard Pep Guardiola's admission and it leaves FSG with no other option at Liverpool

It almost felt like watching a relationship coming to an end in a soap opera as Pep Guardiola summed up his side’s latest defeat.

“I’m not good enough, I’m not doing well. That is the truth,” the Manchester City boss admitted after his side’s capitulation against Manchester United.

Liverpool of course will be delighted to hear him saying that. The Premier League title race is obviously far from over, but there was certainly an air of resignation from Guardiola after his side’s eighth - yes, eighth - defeat in 11 games.

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“I am the boss, the manager and I’m not good enough,” he said. “It’s as simple as that. I have to find the way to talk to them, train them, the way you have to play and the way you have to press, to build-up.”

This wasn’t just a manager feeling down after a painful derby day defeat. This was a man who had run out of ideas. If Guardiola had a white flag to hand, he probably would have been waving it during his press conference.

The problems at the Etihad go far beyond just injuries or a packed schedule. Liverpool fans may well be recognizing a few familiar signs, given what they went through just a couple of years ago.

Clearly, this is not just going to be an easy fix for City. When Liverpool went through its own tough period, Jurgen Klopp had to practically rebuild his midfield, and Guardiola looks as though he will have to do the same - potentially on an even bigger scale. After all, as bad as the Reds were in the 2022/23 season, they never went on a run like this.

City know they’ve got Guardiola until 2027, but at least the next year looks as though it will be spent trying to get City back into the title picture - assuming the Premier League hasn’t handed down a hefty punishment in the meantime.

The mission is clear for Liverpool this season then. After all, how often can you boast this sort of advantage over City, especially when their dismal run shows no sign of abating?

But it shouldn’t stop there. If City is going to find itself in a rebuild, Liverpool needs to make sure it stays at least one step ahead - and that means FSG needs to back Arne Slot.

The Dutchman is working wonders after replacing Klopp during the summer, and all while only adding one new player to his current squad - and let’s face it, Federico Chiesa hasn’t made any difference for the Reds yet.

What he’s done since arriving at Anfield is remarkable, and even in dropping points against Fulham, fans were left even more encouraged that Liverpool could go on to win the title this season. They’re going to need some help with that though.

Injuries are taking their toll, not least in defense. Hopefully Ibrahima Konate won’t be out for too long, but Liverpool could do with another quality option at the heart of the defense, especially with Jarell Quansah looking short on confidence.

Andy Robertson is showing signs this season of slowing down, and those question marks over Darwin Nunez don’t look like going away too soon. And that’s before you get into what might happen with Virgil van Dijk, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Mohamed Salah amid their contract wranglings.

It’s not generally in Liverpool’s nature to dip into the January transfer window, although the arrivals of Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo have shown they’re not shy of doing so. If they’re to go on and win the title, and make the most of this decline from City, then next month has to be the first port of call for the club’s owners to properly show their backing for Slot. He might not even need it, but why run the risk?