Pep Guardiola makes 115 charges pledge as Man City rocked by setback in Liverpool battle

Pep Guardiola has pledged to stay as Manchester City boss regardless of the outcome of the 115 financial charges the Premier League have brought against them. And he explained his duty to halt a run that has seen Liverpool move five points clear at the top.

Guardiola put to bed speculation over his long-term future by penning a two-year contract extension this week to take him past the 10-year mark at the Etihad. But the agreement comes on the heels of what is the worst run of the Catalan's coaching career having lost four successive fixtures for the first time across all competitions, prior to the international break.

Guardiola says the new deal is proof that he will stick around at the Etihad whatever happens to the club over the raft of financial charges that have been levelled at them. City have always maintained their innocence and the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss insists he will be staying put in Manchester even if heavy sanctions come their way.

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"I said that six months ago," Guardiola said in his Friday press conference before Saturday's visit from Tottenham Hotspur. "You have my interviews here and I have said the same. It's not because I extended the contract that I pretend how nice is Pep.

"I said six months ago or one year ago - when other clubs accuse us that we have done something wrong - so what happens if we get relegated? I will be here.

"Next year we will come up, I don't know, if we are in the Conference (National League) we are going to come up and come back to the Premier League. I knew it then and I feel it now.

"You are able to lose four games in a row, but you are also able to win four Premier Leagues in a row. The difference is most teams are able to lose four games in different competitions but just one team has won four Premier Leagues in a row.

"I said yesterday (Thursday) felt I should stay here, of course because they want me because of the results. We have known each other for a long time but all my decisions in my life have been like that, I wait and sometimes I feel it was a moment to stay here, what I feel in the moment. In just two hours we did it.

"Why two years and not one? Because of the weather. It's a good question! I don't want it to be like this in the next year [the media saying], 'it's the last year of Pep, he will have to extend again'. So that was the main reason because at the end, the contract is there and I would like to stay two more years but I also know if the results are not good I won't be here for two more years.

"So do the players, so we have an incredible time with legendary players here but we have to perform. If we don't perform, our chairman, our fans will ask what is going on and we'll have to change. So everyone is under pressure and I am the first [one]. I have a contract but I will only be here another month, maybe, when the situation is not going well.

"I think we deserve to continue for what we have done in recent years, to extend the contract. I am not naive enough to stay for staying. I deserve to extend the contract but at the same time, we have to try and be up there but if not then of course the club has to find a solution."

City have the chance to close the gap on Arne Slot's league leaders when Spurs visit the Etihad on Saturday but Guardiola has confirmed he will be without Mateo Kovacic in midfield to deputise for Ballon d'Or winner Rodri, whose season may yet be over after an ACL injury against Arsenal earlier in the campaign.

Guardiola added: "Kovacic is injured. It will be a while, three weeks or a month. John Stones, Manu Akanji trained good yesterday. Nathan Ake is coming back training. We had no central defenders, now we have three.

"Just Ruben Dias is out but he is coming back soon. I don't know if they’re ready to play 90 minutes, but to see their faces in the training session is really good."

"Max Alleyne as well will be injured. To go to the U21s because they pushed his limits and he came back injured. They should be more in contact with the doctors of the national teams and the doctors from here, because if one player goes not in a perfect condition and trains with the U21s in the morning and in the afternoon with the U20s, and then plays two games not fully fit it's normal that he is injured and we will lose him for three weeks to a month again."