City currently sit second in the Premier League table and have qualified for both the knockout stages of the Champions League and the last 16 of the Carabao Cup.
That success has been mirrored by the squad’s heavy involvement in Qatar this winter, with an impressive 16 City players representing their country at the latest tournament.
But for Guardiola, the World Cup is an opportunity to reflect on both the highs and lows of 2022/23 so far, while also giving his players the chance to focus on their international ambitions.
“People who go away with the national team will be focused on a dream for them, the World Cup,” he explained.
“We have time to reflect with the staff, what we have done good and what we can do better.
“We have Liverpool in the Carabao Cup and then Leeds, and we’ll see how the people come back.
“People say many things. The Premier League is very difficult, and we are going to try to come back good and fight for that.”
The boss was also asked what the coming weeks looked like for those players who won’t be involved at the World Cup.
And while Guardiola provided an expected return date, he pointed out that decisions on the entire squad would be taken on a case-by-case basis.
“The 5th of December,” he responded when asked about when the likes of Erling Haaland and Riyad Mahrez would come back.
“It depends on how the players go on in the knockout stage, we will see.
“Every player will be dependent on when they come back and after they finish the World Cup.”
