Pep Guardiola claimed on Friday that he was not enjoying the challenge of finding a solution to the worst run of his managerial career. His frustrated touchline demeanour at Anfield certainly suggested a manager who was getting more and more agitated by what he was seeing.

But the Catalan did at least find some brevity on Merseyside despite seeing his side slump to a sixth defeat in their last seven games. After Mohamed Salah's penalty put the game beyond doubt, the Anfield crowd turned their focus onto Guardiola.

"You're getting sacked in the morning," echoed around the stadium. As it did so, a smile broke out across Guardiola's face. It might have been the first he had displayed all afternoon. He turned around to the Main Stand and those fans behind him and held up six fingers, a reminder of the number of Premier League titles he has won, often crushing the dreams of these supporters in the process.

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At full-time, Guardiola marched towards the away end and pointed both hands at City's magnificent travelling supporters, again raising those six digits. He appreciates their faith in his underperforming team. As he walked back towards that tunnel, that chant broke out again. This time, Guardiola applauded all four sides of Anfield and received a round of applause from them.

The irony of Guardiola being taunted by the idea of getting the sack just 10 days after signing a new contract was lost on nobody. There has certainly been no bounce since the announcement of that two-year extension 10 days ago. If anything, things have gotten worse.

The Tottenham defeat revealed the problems run deeper than a few injuries and a streak of away games. The collapse from a commanding position against Feyenoord hinted at a mental fragility.

Losing at Anfield is something even City’s greatest sides have on their CV, but this was passive from the start and quickly descended into a spell of infighting after every mistake. Right now, you would have little faith in this team finding the requisite quality, intensity and physicality to beat Nottingham Forest.

Guardiola insisted in an engaging and open press conference on Friday that he wanted to be around to rebuild this team, but he has left open the possibility of walking away if he feels he can’t fix this. He will never be sacked, so the only question is his hunger and belief to keep going.

His reaction as the Liverpool fans mocked him suggested he has the desire to do just that, but as protective as he is of his players, it is beginning to feel like heads will roll if Guardiola does stay. This suddenly looks like an old team, lacking the speed of mind and body to hurt opponents. They need fresh legs.

Guardiola’s touchline body language suggests he doesn’t feel his message is always getting through. He was often annoyed at pieces of City's play that didn’t meet his standards at Anfield. His half-time decision to move Manuel Akanji further into midfield showed that he still has it as a tactician and a thinker. City immediately improved and found it easier to progress the ball, although chances remained at a premium.

It would be a dangerous game to write this team off entirely, but it does feel like we are approaching the end. City have sustained success under Guardiola through minor tweaks here and there. Now, they need major surgery.

Guardiola’s banter with the Anfield crowd suggested someone still enjoying his craft, despite going through the most difficult run of his career. If that attitude remains, then he might have to be ruthless in calling time on some great City careers at the end of this season.

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