Pep Guardiola refuses to see anything but positives from humbling Liverpool defeat | OneFootball

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola claims that his team lost in the right way in Sunday's humbling defeat to Liverpool, predicting a "bright future" for the young group.

At an average age of 25 years and 68 days, it was the joint youngest lineup that Guardiola has named for a Premier League fixture. The last time it was that young, City beat Watford in 2020, a wholly different task from facing a Liverpool team storming towards the title.

Kevin De Bruyne, Nathan Ake and Ederson pulled the age up at the Etihad Stadium, but Savinho, Rico Lewis and Abdukodir Khusanov are all just 20 years old, with Josko Gvardiol, Nico Gonzalez and Jeremy Doku aged 23 or younger.

Given the circumstances, with City dominating possession and shots – even having a goal from Omar Marsmoush disallowed for offside, Guardiola was pleased with a lot of what happened.

"If you lose, you have to lose the way we lost today. I saw many things that this club has a bright future with the players that we have," the City boss told Sky Sports.

"Except Kevin de Bruyne and maybe Nathan Ake, all the players are so, so young. What the club decides next for the future, there is a bright future for this club in the next years.

Man City are developing a new young team / Shaun Botterill/GettyImages

"Everyone knows that a part will be here next season for the older players but we have to build for the next step. There is a question of time. Even with the amount of absences we have, we played well. They break the lines and can break behind you. They really threaten but we bring them there and all we missed is that in the final third, it depends on the talent to dribble or shoot in the right moment. From there, we build for the future.

"We are far away. We will see in the future. What we have done in previous seasons is good but now we are away from them. We played with personality which was really good."

It could already be too late for De Bruyne. The Belgian midfielder, a verifiable City legend already, will turn 34 in the summer is losing his influence on the pitch.

De Bruyne was overlooked against Real Madrid in the Champions League play-off second leg in midweek and was the first player that Guardiola opted to change after returning to the XI for this game. His contract is up in the summer and a lucrative golden sunset move is calling.