Securing a top four finish would be as big a success as anything Pep Guardiola has achieved at Manchester City believes the manager as he looks to reframe his side's ambitions ahead of a defining run of fixtures.

City are fifth going into their battle with Chelsea this weekend, and play each of the other top six teams in their next six Premier League games, plus a trip to Tottenham. There is also a must-win Champions League fixture with Club Brugge next week where anything but victory will see the Blues fail to reach the knockout stages.

Guardiola admitted he never expected not to reach the top 24 of the new-look competition, a prospect which is now at serious risk. And while they could leapfrog Chelsea into the top four on Saturday, the City chief sounded far from confident that they will be able to finish in a Champions League qualification spot at the end of the season.

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Discussing City's chances of a top four finish, Guardiola agreed with a question that a Champions League spot would be as good as any trophy City could win this season or have won in the past.

And in explaining himself, he raised eye-catching comments from Jose Mourinho, who has repeatedly said that finishing second to Guardiola's City with Manchester United in 2018 was the best achievement of his career.

Guardiola explained: "I remember Jose, I don't know the reality of United, but he said many times finishing second in that season was the biggest success. I understand completely. When Rodri is here, when also defenders are here, when many players are out there playing, we will fight.

"Sometimes you have these situations and when you live these situations, of course, it is the bigger success [a top four finish]. I think the hierarchy, the sports director, the CEOs, the players know that.

"Because sometimes life gives you circumstances. Ruben [Dias] is never injured. And now, play one or two games, he's injured. Nathan [Ake] and John [Stones] cannot be sustained, like in the year of the Treble when John played all the games. Now he can't.

"Now we didn't have it this season. And now, with the new players and everyone, and still with that, recover and now change the momentum in our minds, that we can do it."

Guardiola went on, saying that while City will never give up on the Premier League title, however distant that possibility may be, the reality is that his side will not return to their usual selves until next season.

He said: "Next season we will be back, really, now it is a question to survive, to qualify, to fight for the title if it is possible, otherwise to accept the reality is completely different from the last eight or nine years.

"Now is accept the reality and as much as we accept it and never forget who are, how good we are, we will move forward.

"We have a tough calendar, yeah, we are not in the best positions and circumstances, absolutely, I am not stupid enough to know what our standards and levels are, everybody knows it. What we have to do is diagnose it and have the players, the guys, we are better than you believe.

"These players in seven eight nine years, most of them, for two months, the bad results aren’t going to change what they have done in nine years – nothing, never, ever, it is going to happen."