Thomas Tuchel was en route to Abu Dhabi and mentally preparing for the FIFA Club World Cup final when Pep Guardiola sat down to face the media ahead of Man City's trip to Norwich City.
Guardiola's press conference was fairly run-of-the-mill: he answered questions about the Canaries' improvement under Dean Smith, Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez, and delivered an injury update. Yet one question focused around Liverpool did give telling insight into the mind of the Catalan.
“I was born in Barcelona and their academy taught me everything. The best way, even there, is to think everything can go wrong," Guardiola said about the Premier League title race, which City currently lead by six points.
“We made an incredible run in the Premier League so far and Liverpool is still there around the corner. That shows how amazing and difficult our opponent is.
“There’s no doubt about that. The margin against Liverpool is nothing. We have to win a lot – more than 90 points – 95, 96 to be champions."
There are two big takeaways from those comments. The first is that Guardiola doesn't consider Chelsea a threat to City's Premier League crown this season. Given the Blues are 16 points behind the reigning champions – albeit they do have a game in hand – is more than fair.
The second is the City head coach believes the relentless, almost-merciless approach needed to win the Premier League remains, that dropped points are not so much a cause for frustration but are a complete aberration.
City and Liverpool have set the standards over the last four years. In that period, the former has averaged 91 points a Premier league season while Jurgen Klopp's side have averaged 85. By contrast, Chelsea have averaged just 69 in the top flight. It's this gap that Tuchel and his players still have to close.
This term, Chelsea have averaged 1.95 points per game in the Premier League, which when extrapolated over 38 matches would give 74 points. That is still some way off the total Guardiola has projected will win the title.
Tuchel has achieved unimaginable success since arriving at Stamford Bridge a little more than a year ago – the Club World Cup was collected on Saturday to go with the Champions League and UEFA Super Cup.
His biggest challenge remains the Premier League, however. Over 38 matches, weaknesses can't be hidden, form can't be papered over. It's a marathon that reveals all.
“The Premier League is the toughest competition because Manchester City set a very high standard," Chelsea defender Antonio Rudiger admitted after the Club World Cup final win over Palmeiras. "We have to get to a point where we can go on that long marathon."
Chelsea sides of years past have proved up to that challenge. Under Jose Mourinho, the Blues finished as title winners with 95 points at the end of the 2004/05 campaign and followed it up with 91 the next season.
With Antonio Conte at the helm, Chelsea swashbuckled their way to 93 points after the Italian's early-season change to a 3-4-3 system.
Tuchel is unlikely to stumble upon such a quick fix and Chelsea can't crack the 90-point mark this season. It's why the summer transfer window will prove so important. Chelsea's first-team squad needs refreshing, needs to be brought into line with the German's football vision. There can be no passengers.
That may not prove easy but it is necessary and the only way Chelsea can keep pace and then overcome City and Liverpool in what has become an unforgiving slog to be crowned Premier League champions.
