Pep Guardiola has already shown Man City the best way to overcome Champions League heartbreak

This season Manchester City have arguably played the best football of Pep Guardiola's six-season reign, but soon that may count for very little.

Following Wednesday's heartbreaking exit from the Champions League at the hands of comeback specialists Real Madrid, City now face the very real prospect of ending the campaign without any silverware to show for their brilliance. Not since 2016-17 - Guardiola's first season at the club which was accepted as a season of transition - have City endured a trophyless campaign.

Following elimination from the Carabao Cup in October, defeat in the FA Cup semi-final last month and now more European disappointment, the Premier League is City's only chance of silverware. It's a unique situation for Guardiola's side in the sense that they have never entered the final few weeks of the season with their sole-trophy hopes hanging in the balance.

READ MORE:Pep Guardiola is entirely blameless in Man City's latest Champions League failure

In 2016-17, FA Cup semi-final defeat effectively ended City's season in April, while the league triumphs of 2018, 2019 and 2021 were all accompanied by League Cup victories earlier in the calendar. Despite facing unchartered waters, there is something that City can repeat - from the 2018-19 campaign to be precise - that could help see them over the line in the current Premier League title race.

With four games left to play, City sit one point above Liverpool at the top of the table. Win all four and City will win the title with a points total of 95, regardless of what Jurgen Klopp's side do.

However, given the physically, mentally and emotionally draining nature of Wednesday's Champions League exit, that is a task easier said than done. It has been done before