Manchester City suffered a humbling 4-0 defeat at home to Tottenham on Saturday night, and head coach Pep Guardiola has already ruled his team out of the Premier League title race.

The international break did no favors for City, who have now lost the last five games in all competitions and three-straight in the Premier League for the first time under Guardiola. Liverpool now has the chance to move eight points clear of City providing they beat Southampton on Sunday, handing the Reds a major advantage.

"In eight years we have never lived this kind of situation," Guardiola said after the 4-0 defeat. "Now we have to live it and break it by winning the next games, especially the next one. Now we see things in one way, maybe in a few weeks we see it differently."

When reflecting on the loss and how to combat poor performances, Guardiola added: "We’re a bit fragile, that is obvious. We struggled to score and then we’re playing in our thoughts a little bit of negativity. There were a few reasons we're not able to be consistent.

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"Now the balance is not in the right moment. But it happened. We have to do it, talk and on Tuesday against Feyenoord (in the Champions League) have the chance to try. Hopefully the players can follow me."

City next face Feyenoord in the Champions League before a huge Premier League clash against Liverpool on Dec. 1. City need a win if they are to make up early ground on Liverpool, but Guardiola believes if they lose that game it could be over.

When asked if the title would be lost if they lose against Liverpool, Guardiola replied: "Yep. In terms of Liverpool winning, winning, yep." The stunning start made by Liverpool is a total contrast to the uncharacteristic slump of City, but at this stage of the season it's too early to draw conclusions.

After Gameweek 12 is concluded, the Premier League season will only be 31.5 percent complete, meaning that title challengers City and Arsenal will still have 26 games to catch Liverpool. The Reds are still adapting to the methods of new head coach Arne Slot, and although the fast start has excited Liverpool fans, it's unlikely to be plane sailing for the remainder of the season.

While there may be some truth to Guardiola's comments, it's also likely an early test for Slot as the City head coach attempts to play mind games. Premier League fans are also well aware that City tends to be stronger in the second half of the season.

When City won their first Premier League title during the 2011-12 season, they were eight points off leaders Manchester United with just six games remaining. Both teams entered the final day tied on 86 points, and although both teams won, City had a superior goal difference.

City also delayed Liverpool's first Premier League title during the 2013-14 season despite the Reds being five-points clear with three games to play. City continued to win while Liverpool kept losing comfortable leads, and ended up winning the title by two points.

That was before Guardiola was hired, and since then, City have stunned rival fans with three separate winning runs during title-chasing seasons. City set a new record for consecutive Premier League wins during the 2017-18 season, winning 18 games in a row.

In the 2018-19 season, City and Liverpool staged one of the most dominant title races in history as both teams won 30+ games, but the Reds started stronger while their rivals ended the year flawless. From Feb. 3 through to the end of that season, City won 15 consecutive Premier League games to finish on 98 points, edging Liverpool to the title after the Reds managed 97.

Things may be different this season, as Ballon d'Or winner Rodri is set to play no part after suffering an ACL injury. However, City are masters of chasing Premier League leaders, and Slot needs to ensure his Liverpool players don't get influenced by the noise.