Guardiola was generally pleased with the way his men played over that 45 minutes as they assumed a 2-0 lead through Kevin De Bruyne and Kelechi Iheanacho before Zlatan Ibrahimovic’s reply just prior to the break.
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City again played the slick, passing football their new manager is associated with, particularly in the first half, but Guardiola has stressed his side are not yet in the kind of shape required to make waves in the Champions League.
“I think in the first half they were much better than us”.
“They didn’t give me what I want”.
But while Jose Mourinho typically found a way to blame the referee for United’s defeat, he also blasted his players for somewhat bottling it under the weight of expectation.
Marcus Rashford, who came on at half-time in Saturday’s Manchester derby to good effect, is set to start in attack and there are likely to be places up for grabs in the wide roles.
“We started the game with some players really below their normal level in terms of their concentration and mental availability to play a game of this speed”.
Asked if he was disappointed by the first half or encouraged by the second, Mourinho said: “Both. He gave us in the second-half what we needed but didn’t get from Micki or Jesse in the first-half”. “Their performances. So, of course, I am going to play other players”. He has also made a big impact when Mourinho has brought him on as a substitute already this season leading to many people asking for him to be given a start.
The Chile worldwide showcased his excellent footwork and footballing brain throughout City’s 2-1 win at Old Trafford, moving outside his area to get involved in play and starting attacks with his passing and long throws.
“It only gets easier when you know the players very, very well”.
Mourinho told Goal there was “another big club” in the running for Pogba, which meant the Portuguese felt the need to wage a relentless phone campaign. Mourinho has a awful record when his teams play Guardiola’s, and his helplessness tactically early on just helped fuel the fire.
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It appears the starting lineup for the Europa League tie on Thursday night could see some changes from what we’re used to in the Premier League fixtures.
