Pep Guardiola says he is considering ‘ridiculous’ plans for Manchester derby. Manchester City and Manchester United will compete against each other on Saturday from 1.30 pm. The earlier meeting this season ended in a goal fest with nine goals, when Erik ten Hag’s team was beaten 6-3. The Mancunians however, have found their good form and turned the last eight games into wins, which puts Guardiola on edge.
City will first face Southampton in the battle for the EFL Cup on Wednesday evening, but could not avoid meeting with United during the closing press conference. “I have some ridiculous ideas and thoughts,” said the success coach, who then did not want to reveal much. “But I haven’t seen their last game yet. Based on their cup match against Charlton Athletic (3-0) I will determine whether I am going to change anything. I still have to look at it. I am also not quite sure of my line-up yet. “
Guardiola and his team were much too strong for Chelsea in the FA Cup last Sunday, but saw his team look tired. Three days earlier he was also too strong for Graham Potter’s team at Stamford Bridge. “We came back too late and at training the next day I saw how tired some players were. I adjusted the preparation accordingly. I want to have several players play against United who are equivalent with an average number of minutes. That also depends on how the players recover after Chelsea and Southampton.”
Guardiola doesn’t think Kevin De Bruyne or Erling Braut Haaland necessarily need minutes against Southampton to be at their peak against United. “You think about that, but at the same time these players have played a lot of games over the years. If Kevin doesn’t play for four or five days, does he lose anything? I don’t think so. I don’t think it’s a problem if she plays eight or nine days of not playing.” Both De Bruyne and Haaland remained on the bench for ninety minutes in the FA Cup match with Chelsea.
Related
More sports news
0 comments