Pep Guardiola says it’s an honour to be the second longest serving manager in the Premier League – and believes the limited time a packed schedule allows him to train his City players has helped sustain both his longevity in the job and relationships with his squad.

Guardiola arrived to take charge at the Etihad in the summer of 2016 and has since overseen the most successful period in City’s 129-year history.

Only Liverpool’s Jurgen Klopp, who took over at Anfield in October 2015, has been at the helm longer in terms of top-flight managers.

But, asked at his pre-match press conference ahead of Sunday’s league trip to Arsenal how he managed to keep his approach to the job fresh with the squad, Guardiola said one of the key factors was the fact City’s busy fixture schedule meant he didn’t have extended time to work with his players.

“(How do you keep things fresh?) It’s a good question for the players. I’m asking this question many, many times myself. Again, this guy is shouting me or saying something,” Pep said.

“That’s why sometimes you have to refresh the squad, the players or move the manager.

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“So, it’s an honour to be the second longest serving manager right now behind Jurgen. That means we have done really, really well because the big clubs don’t wait.

“But I tell you something, when you have a long week (without games), I think it would be more, more difficult to maintain that.

“But at the end playing every three days you don’t train.

“I love to be on the pitch, to smell the grass, to see the players, do whatever they do. When I like the behaviour I compliment them, when they are flat and after that they will be in trouble with me, but I don’t feel a manager, I feel I am a trainer on the field, a manager looks like he belongs in the office.

“But the calendar and the schedule make you become a manager because all the time you are in the office watching games or what you have to do and you are on the pitches for just forty-five minutes, or one hour.

“That’s why I don’t spend much time with the players, just forty-five minutes, some meetings on the day of the game.

“A lot of the time I am not with them, and they are not with me. That’s why maybe we can sustain a bit longer these relations.”

Play the video to watch Pep’s press conference in full…