It is one more match.
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The French worldwide completed a world record £89.3m move to Manchester United this summer – but Guardiola was clear that Gundogan was the midfielder he considered pivotal to his City revolution.
When he was told the match was being cast as a rematch between himself and Guardiola, the Portuguese manager replied: “That’s no problem”. “So they are a top team”. “They were a very good team last season, two seasons ago, three seasons ago, four seasons ago, perhaps since the new owners arrived at Manchester City”, Mourinho said.
2 Personally, who do you rate higher – Mourinho or Guardiola?
Guardiola admitted that his famously hard relationship with United manager Jose Mourinho had been “not good” in Spain, though insisted he would drink wine with him at Old Trafford if invited.
“He was Zlatan in every club so I don’t think it is about managers or clubs, it is about him, he’s a phenomenal player”, the United manager said in his press conference ahead of the game.
But Ibrahimovich – who in his autobiography described Guardiola as controlling and a “spineless coward” after they clashed at Barcelona – drew a less diplomatic response from the new Manchester City manager, as he discussed Saturday’s game.
“For the short time, we play good in some moments”. They had always very good players.
“They played in Venezuela and then went to Argentina and then, from there, they came back to Europe but they came back in time for training this morning”. You want stories but I don’t have them for you. “They are a title contender and you have to respect them that way”.
And City and United have invested heavily in their squads over the summer with Mourinho breaking the world transfer record with the £89 million signing of Paul Pogba.
On the subject of sharing a glass of wine, Mourinho said: “I don’t think it’s important”. It’s the first time we’ve played against United and the players must know what to do, to know what’s going to happen. We know the formation, we know their dynamic. They bought some more very good players.
Kelechi Iheanacho is the only out-and-out replacement available but the likes of Nolito, Kevin De Bruyne or Raheem Sterling could be deployed further forward. For us it is a game.
When it was put to him that his rivalry with Mourinho was akin to that of Alain Prost and Ayrton Senna, or Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali, Guardiola was willing to take it on.
“I will accept if he invites me”, Guardiola said.
“But always I was clear, I spoke with him always face-to-face – always”.
Pep Guardiola’s calm exterior belies the visceral competitor beneath. “How he works today I don’t know and I don’t care less because he is not my coach”.
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‘He has had a big impact everywhere he has been and he is an awesome talent, one of the best around.
