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In the midst of a wet, miserable Manchester day, when his team were put in their place by opponents who are on the verge of taking their crown, Pep Guardiola saw the brightness of a new Manchester City team emerge.
While City were swept aside by Premier League leaders Liverpool, Guardiola saw enough in his side to be confident for the future.
His team contained three players who have been with the club a matter of weeks, key men Erling Haaland and Rodri the most notable of five absentees, and with central defensive axis Ruben Dias limited to a 13-minute cameo off the bench as he strives for full fitness in his comeback from injury.
The average age of Manchester City's starting XI in this game was 25 years and 68 days - their joint-youngest in a Premier League match under Guardiola.
"I saw a bright future," he told BBC Sport. "These players are so young.
"Other than Kevin [de Bruyne] and Nathan [Ake], they are the future of this club in the next years, with others who will come in future windows."
Guardiola namechecked wide duo Savinho and Jeremy Doku. It is safe to assume England international Phil Foden is also part of that group.
For others, like De Bruyne, central defender John Stones, midfielder Ilkay Gundogan and England winger Jack Grealish, who remained on the bench throughout, the future is less certain.
City have a long-standing interest in Juventus full-back Andrea Cambiasso and over the past few days have been linked with Bayer Leverkusen's Germany midfielder Florian Wirtz.
By the time Guardiola gets to the start of next season, his squad could look very different to the one that began this one.
The former Barcelona and Bayern coach is not one for predicting the future but asked to respond to the post-match comments of Liverpool boss Arne Slot, who feels City will challenge strongly again next season, Guardiola said he hoped the Dutchman was right.
"I would like that," he said. "I know what we have done as a team. It's not enough but I recognise my team in the last two games in the Premier League - they were brilliant against both Newcastle and Liverpool.
"In Madrid it was not good enough in both games to try to go through but the pace today, the rhythm, the pressing, the solidarity for most of them playing in difficult positions, I approve it and it was really good."
City's eighth Premier League defeat of the campaign leaves them 20 points adrift of the champions-elect.
"How many points are they in front of Arsenal?" questioned Guardiola, when asked if City had been beaten by the title winners. "How many games have they lost?"
The answer, 11 and one, told it's own story.
For City, the challenge is to claim a place in next season's Champions League, for which, fifth is likely to be enough.
With 12 games remaining, they are fourth, three points behind third-placed Nottingham Forest – but with a better goal difference, but only five ahead of Fulham, who are 10th.
It is a less exhilarating task than trying to secure a record fourth successive title, or winning a historic Treble, which has been in front of them as the previous two seasons entered their final weeks, but Guardiola is convinced it will be enough motivation.
"If it doesn't happen it's because we were not good enough, not because we had a lack of hunger and desire," he said.
"It's so tight with four or five teams; Nottingham Forest, Newcastle, Aston Villa and the others are so good. It will not be easy but we will try."
Haaland was forced to watch proceedings from the behind the City bench, having told Guardiola on Saturday he was not ready to return from the knee injury he suffered at the end of the win over Newcastle.
Guardiola played down concerns the Norwegian's absence could be prolonged but admitted he was not sure when Haaland would be back.
"Apparently he's not injured because the scans dictate that he's fine," he said. "But he didn't feel fine.
"I have the feeling it [return] will be soon because he trained yesterday and made some really good movements but he said he was not ready and we have to respect that.
"Hopefully he can be back for Spurs [on Wednesday]."
