Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola says getting the players to play his style of football is more important than winning a trophy.

City are fourth in the Premier League, 18 points behind champions Chelsea, and have surrendered their chances of winning the Champions League or domestic cups.

"The team has played the way I wanted. We didn't play good enough, there were teams that did better," Guardiola told ESPN Brasil.

"In Europe, we still don't have the level to compete. City had gone 35 years without playing in Europe [Champions League]. The club crossed the round of 16 just once. So, we need time to have conditions to compete.

"But the team played, like how we did at Barcelona and Bayern, how I always want my teams to play. It is more important to me than winning a trophy."