Pep Guardiola's no-excuse culture at Man City highlights huge gulf with Manchester United

It’s always nice to have a cautionary tale - a live threat of impending doom - to keep a successful sports team on its toes.

Thankfully, for Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola, he doesn’t have to look too far for an example if he fears his players are veering off course in their bid for a fourth Premier League title in five seasons.

“A long time ago, United controlled this league like no other team,” he said ahead of City’s trip to Norwich on Saturday.

“Could you imagine, at that time, it will be seven or eight seasons without them winning the Premier League?

“Could someone in this country think about that? But it's happened and if it happens to United it can happen to us tomorrow. Not next season. To-mo-rrow.”

Impressive as that stuttering emphasis on “tomorrow” was (not for the first time at his press conference table in recent weeks, Guardiola seemed to be enjoying himself), the dramatic flourish could not hide the fact that, well, this isn’t really true.

Despite the history of Typical City, Cityitis and all the rest of it suggesting imminent catastrophe, the reality is very different at the club Guardiola inhabits.

A finely honed, supremely motivated bunch of elite footballers are not about to turn into Joe Royle’s band of Division Two merry men any more than talk of United DNA or any of that other specious guff will transform Ralf Rangnick’s ragtag bunch into the latest incarnation of Best, Law and Charlton.

History can be a motivation, often something to tug at the heartstrings and occasionally a subsidiary driving factor. But success is built and sustained upon the circumstances of the present and Guardiola explained how unflinching he and his players are when it comes to maintaining standards.

“The