Guardiola proud of Manchester City record but insists he's 'not going to be Alex Ferguson'

Pep Guardiola has won the Champions League twice as a manager and each was at the expense of the manager who became a byword for permanence. As the Manchester City manager continues his quest to conquer the continent for the first time since his Barcelona side beat Manchester United in 2011, repeating their 2009 triumph, he reflected on his six-season stay at the Etihad Stadium.

His contract expires next summer and Guardiola has vowed not to emulate a manager who stayed in Manchester for 27 years. “I’m not going to be Sir Alex Ferguson, don’t worry,” he smiled.

City are on course to win a fourth Premier League in five seasons and while he steered them to their maiden Champions League final last year, he is aware some will deem him a failure if the trophy continues to elude him. He is unconcerned. “All the managers we are exposed to getting punished with criticism when we don’t get results,” he said. “Not me, all the managers.”

If he is content, it is because he feels his squad have never been happier. “My feeling is we have an incredible harmony in the team,” he said, deflecting the credit.

“Thanks to the captains, it’s exceptional because of them. This harmony helps because in our last 20 games, we have won 18, drawn one and lost one to Leipzig when we didn’t play for anything. We have an incredible run, behaving well. In Leipzig we were not prepared mentally, having already qualified before that game, but the rest, always we were there, all the time.”

That defeat in a dead rubber in Germany came at a cost, with Kyle Walker sent off then and suspended for Tuesday's last-16 tie against Sporting Lisbon. If it means his fellow full-back Joao Cancelo has an added importance, this is a match with a greater resonance for