Pep is knackered, Rodri is still crocked and some of the new signings look a bit meh.

This is why Manchester City are only third favourites for the English Premier League (EPL) title.

Even behind Arsenal, who are nailed on to come second for the fourth time in a row.

Pep Guardiola was only joking when he suggested to GQ magazine that he might need a 15-year rest once he abdicates the gilded throne at the Etihad.

But he sounded undeniably weary after a season in which a lesser man might have aged 15 years.

He shocked everyone when, at the height of the storm, he decided to pilot the ship for two more seasons.

“The problems we had in the last month, I felt now was not the right time to leave,” he explained.

Bowing out on a downer would have both tarnished his legacy and left the club in the lurch.

So he decided to fight it, and if he were to return City to its former glory, it might be regarded as his greatest achievement yet.

What made that decision even more surprising is that he had quit his beloved Barcelona, perhaps the best club side ever, after just five years, to take a sabbatical.

But that role has been unfavourably compared to being the prized exhibit in a zoo.

Whatever, he was making doubly sure that no one was ever going to call him a quitter.

Still, when a coach admits to the huge physical and mental toll the job is taking, it’s not a good sign.

And when the interviewer for GQ Spain noted that Ronaldo had recently claimed his biological clock was 28, Guardiola quipped that his was 78.

What might soon push him into octogenarian territory is that his star man, Rodri, whose absence triggered last season’s implosion, is still not back to full fitness.

The Spanish pivot returned gingerly before the end of last season, but in July at the Club World Cup, he hobbled off again.

Fortunately, it was not the same injury, but it’s a concern that he’s yet to look anything like his old self.

And despite spending some £250 million on players, the team doesn’t either.

After the late autumn collapse, City went for broke in the January window and spent more (£180m) than the rest of the league combined.

Age was cited as another reason for the failure and, as many old empires do, they had waited too long to change the old guard.

But in the new year, helped by the dynamic impact of Omar Marmoush, a steal at just £59m from Frankfurt, City steadied.

They managed to secure a Champions League place for the following season after it had once looked unlikely.

But a clear-out got underway with Kyle Walker being ushered off to Milan and the great Kevin de Bruyne told that his contract would not be renewed.

The emphasis was on lowering the age, but Abdukodir Khusanov, 20, of Uzbekistan, looked out of his depth, while Portugal’s Nico Gonzalez, 23, also struggled.

Claudio Echeverri, 19, from Argentina looked bright, but just when critics were suggesting “City are back”, they faltered again.

A miserable defeat by Crystal Palace in the FA Cup final was followed by a shock loss to Saudi Arabia’s Al-Hilal in the CWC.

So two trophies that might have put a bit of gloss on a dire season went begging.

But they could have been seen as blessings in disguise: City, even in recovery mode, were miles away from their magisterial pomp.

Defensive howlers continued and even Ederson, who has been an absolute rock in goal, not to mention the howitzer attached to his left foot, has developed the heebie-jeebies.

England Youth international James Trafford has arrived from Burnley as his successor, so a lot will rest on the Brazilian’s early form.

Without Rodri as the vital pivot in front, central defence is still a weakness. John Stones barely played last season and will be needed this time.

Ruben Dias was not as solid as we’ve come to expect but is about to renew his contract.

To replace De Bruyne, City have gone for Rayan Cherki and Tijjani Reijnders, although it’s unlikely they’ll play together.

The best new addition by far looks to be Marmoush, whose mobility can be as devastating as Erling Haaland’s thunder.

They may not complement each other, but it’s quite a threat to have two strikers who can play different roles and score plenty over a long season.

One of Pep’s problems is the size of his squad – a bloated 34 – and he’s got plenty of dead wood to remove.

Jack Grealish should be first out of the door but City will have to take a huge loss on the £100m they paid for him. His best season was winning the Treble, but he never quite justified the huge fee.

Neither City nor United, for that matter, has been able to get the sums Liverpool do for their surplus players.

It’s hard to believe that Kalvin Phillips is still on the books but his career seemed to end when Pep didn’t fancy him. Ditto Matheus Nunez albeit not to the same extent.

A midfielder at Wolves, the Portuguese didn’t cut it at City and has been tried at right-back with scant success.

Older, bigger names such as Bernardo Silva and Ilkay Gundogan might also be pushed through the door.

City have been guilty of throwing babies out with the bathwater: notably Cole Palmer who went to Chelsea for £40m and is now a global star.

At least they got £80m for Julian Alvarez but the Argentine’s goals and versatility were desperately missed during the dark days of last season.

With Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea all notably strengthening, City must get the rebuild right or forget the title and settle for a top four place.

And get Rodri back to his Ballon d’Or-winning best.

Whether this will be enough for a tired Pep to continue, only he knows.

The views expressed are those of the writer and do not necessarily reflect those of FMT.