Judged the same way as Pellegrini

perception that he had come to the Premier League to change English football.

“If my past had been worse, the expectation would be lower,” he says.

“People said I was lucky because I was the manager of Lionel Messi, and manager of Bayern Munich and that’s why I won a lot. I came here to prove myself. To show I can adapt.

“I would prefer that the expectation was low but I cannot change my past.

“I won six titles in seven years so it’s the normal expectation to think I’m going to win again.

“I have tried. I have worked more than ever but we were not able to do it.”

Today, Guardiola will be wary of the threat of Alexis Sanchez – a player he had at Barcelona and with whom City have been linked as the Chilean enters the final year of his contract.

Sanchez found himself in the shadow of Lionel Messi at the Nou Camp but Guardiola is in no doubt about his quality.

“How do big clubs improve their teams? Better players. So of course big clubs around the world know his situation,” Guardiola said.

Manchester City’s Leroy Sane admits his boss had to “unlock” him as he struggled to come out of his shell following his £ 37million move from Schalke last year.

Guardiola has been repaid with a different Sane in the second half of the season and the 21-year-old is one of his most potent attacking threats now.

“At the start, when I played against bigger clubs, I thought they were better than me and I was a bit scared,” he says.

“I was with a new team in a new country and didn’t know anything.

“But the week we played Arsenal in December, Pep told me, ‘Play how you played at Schalke because you were free there’ and I scored my first goal.”

Guardiola’s association with Sane’s childhood idol, Lionel Messi, has also been a key factor in the young German’s progress.

“Sometimes he is able to help me with things because he knows how Messi plays and how he trains,” says Sane.

Today Sane will be up against one of his best friends, Mesut Ozil, whom he credits with helping him settle in England.

“Mesut tells me if I need help I should always ask him,” he says. “He’s older than me but it’s good to have friends.

“We went to California last summer after the European Championships, we talk regularly and I meet him in London every couple of weeks.”