Before Manchester City headed to Liverpool on Sunday, Pep Guardiola had said "the previous nine years are dead", acknowledging that his glorious record in the past would not protect him if his side's dismal run of form continued. So why then, as his side were on their way to a fourth consecutive Premier League defeat, did he hold up six fingers to the Anfield crowd?
As Guardiola raised one finger for each Premier League title won to Liverpool fans chanting "You're getting sacked in the morning,", he was not living by that old business adage about only being good as your last success. Instead, he was using his previous achievements as a comfort blanket in a time of great distress.
"I’m so proud of my six Premier Leagues against that team and the previous teams," Guardiola explained, and there is nothing wrong with being proud of his astonishing achievements. But by pointing to his former successes amid his worst run of form in 17 years as a coach, Guardiola is beginning to resemble another serial winning manager who lost his way when no one expected it.
Yes, the Catalan is slowly starting to mimic the actions of Jose Mourinho, once his sworn enemy.