Quadruple? Talk to me in April says Pep

PEP Guardiola is willing to entertain talk of a quadruple – if City go the next two months unbeaten.

The Blues are yet to lose in domestic competition this season but talk of that lasting until May has been regularly shut down by the manager.

However, the new year has brought a small shift in position from the Blues boss.

While he does still not believe it will happen, Guardiola has conceded that his exceptional team could yet prove him wrong.

“When we are in March or April and still in the four competitions, then we’ll talk,” he said.

“But this is the first round of the FA Cup. Speaking about four competitions is an illusion, not realistic.

“We’ll need 32 players to play really well in four competitions and that is not going to happen in my squad.”

On top of the Premier League games in the next two months – where the Blues have a 15-point lead at the top of the table – they are also involved in three other competitions.

City play FC Basel in the last 16 of the Champions League, with the second leg taking place in the first week of March.

By that time, the first silverware of the season will have been decided with the Carabao Cup final scheduled for February 25.

The first leg of City’s semi-final is against Bristol City on Tuesday.

The FA Cup will have reached the quarter-final stage by that point.