Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has highlighted Manchester United’s threat at set pieces ahead of Saturday’s highly-anticipated derby, saying it is “impossible to control”.
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Both teams are also flying high in the Premier League at the moment, winning their opening three games so something will have to give when the two favorites for the title lock horns at Old Trafford on Saturday. “The big players always bring their talent to a club immediately, they don’t need time to adapt to a new league or understand another country”, he added.
But the Manchester clubs could not match Chelsea’s pace in 2015 and fell off the title map altogether last season, prompting seismic managerial changes on both sides of town.
Pep Guardiola says that his relationship Jose Mourinho became hard during their time managing in La Liga.
Guardiola’s agent revealed that Ferguson wanted the player at Man United, but he refused to meet the Scottish manager.
Both have renovated their squads in pointed fashion.
And both have hit the ground running.
“It will remain in the history books and in the supporters’ hearts for a long time, so I take it as a compliment”.
Guardiola is expected to hand a debut to new Chilean goalkeeper Bravo following his arrival from Barcelona to supplant Joe Hart.
Captain Vincent Kompany and right-back Bacary Sagna are also at Guardiola’s disposal after groin and hamstring injuries respectively.
De Bruyne could be asked to play a more advanced role in the absence of star striker Sergio Aguero, who is beginning a three-match ban.
It will be Pogba’s first major test since his 89 million pounds ($118.4 million, 105 million euros) return from Juventus, while Ibrahimovic will relish coming up against Guardiola again. Ibrahimovic wrote about it in his autobiography, stating that the way Guardiola dealt with it was “spineless”, and has doubled down on that in the period since.
Left-back Luke Shaw, right-back Antonio Valencia, midfielder Marouane Fellaini and playmaker Mkhitaryan have all been passed fit after injury scares on worldwide duty.
“I prefer the 90 minutes of the game than the 90 minutes with you (in the media)”.
Marcus Rashford settled the most recent derby, earning United a 1-0 win at the Etihad Stadium in March, and rose from the bench to net a stoppage-time victor at Hull City on their last outing.
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Since joining on a free transfer from Paris Saint-Germain, the 34-year-old has scored four times in as many United appearances and his mercurial presence has drawn comparisons with Old Trafford great Eric Cantona.
