'I'm a handsome man!' - Pep Guardiola explains strange 'seduction' technique that helps Man City players absorb information so quickly

With so many games being packed into a hectic schedule, the Catalan coach is wary of pushing his players too hard behind the scenes. That means he can spend as little as 25 minutes working on upcoming fixtures, but he is still able to impart wisdom and ensure that his star-studded squad are ready for whatever challenge awaits them.

Quizzed on how he is able to achieve that, former Barcelona and Bayern Munich boss Guardiola has jokingly said: “Because I'm really good. I'm a handsome man and I seduce them and we did it. So, I'm really good. Today we have the TV, the images, and we talk individually, and moving that way. I spoke with Ruben (Dias) with what happened at Chelsea, I spoke with Kyle (Walker) with what happened at Chelsea. I talked about it in this specific was after they made mistakes, they just understand.”

Revealing that he has never been one for long practice sessions, Guardiola said of the limited time that he spent with his players prior to a 1-1 Premier League draw with Liverpool at the Etihad Stadium: “In seven years, I don’t train. Maximum 35 minutes. We don’t train. They started pre-season 15 days before. Do you know what 15 days is? We played the FA Cup final and then the Champions League final. They had 15 days more with the new players. We didn’t do one day of tactical. It's the same for Jurgen [Klopp], I’m pretty sure. The day before this game, we did 10-15 minutes with the ball and 10 minutes defensively. Before Tuesday it will be 10 minutes on the pitch, moving in that way. We cannot train. If we train, we don’t have players for the next game. We don’t have them. That’s why we have to learn from the past: just understand what you have to do. The press, who jumps. This is what we absolutely rely on.”

City, who claimed a historic treble triumph last season, will be back in Champions League action on Tuesday when playing host to RB Leipzig. The Premier League title holders are nursing a number of injuries at present, which is further preventing Guardiola from pushing aching limbs towards breaking point.