Pep claims learning how to switch off has made him a better coach than EVER

Pep Guardiola claimed that he is a better coach than ever as the Premier League gears up for an era without the Manchester City manager’s great rival Jurgen Klopp.

Guardiola’s contract expires at the end of next season, his ninth at City, but he revealed last week that he could yet extend that deal further.

Gunning for a record fourth consecutive title, the Catalan appears as energetic as at any point during his reign at the Etihad Stadium and believes teaching himself how to switch off has prolonged his career.

‘I am a more quality manager in terms of selecting the best time to work and to disconnect,’ Guardiola said. ‘When I started in Barcelona I was (obsessive) but now I can stay on the sofa watching TV and don’t think about football.

‘That helps me because after I have more desire to reconnect. Before I was all the time thinking because I thought I was missing something. I understood that was a mistake. I learned. It is simple.’

Klopp admitted that his energy had been sapped by the rigours of managing Liverpool, while Guardiola insisted that a number of factors will go into discussions over his future.

‘Winning helps you to have more energy, when you are losing games you are more tired,’ the 53-year-old added.

‘I see the team getting better and playing difficult opponents like Goodison Park after the Club World Cup or Newcastle or Spurs away and seeing how the team behaved gave me the feeling that, “wow we are still together, we are on the same path”.

‘We’ll have to see the players, their behaviour, our standards. Whether the players follow me, if I am tired or not. Extending after two years is not the same as extending after nine. It’s completely different. Still I am sitting here and I am OK.’

Guardiola - who welcomes