Guardiola expects United to have same game plan in Carabao Cup, League meeting

Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola is of the opinion that Manchester United will have the same game plan up their sleeves when the two teams clash in the semi-final match of the Carabao Cup on January 7. The Red Devils had played a counter-attacking game when they beat City 2-1 in the Manchester derby. Guardiola said that United's game plan will be similar but the match will be quite different since it will be played at Old Trafford.

Guardiola said that the current Machester United team has players with a lot of stamina, adding that when United's players start to run, they prove to be one of the best not just in England. He further gave examples of Daniel James, Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard and Marcus Rashford. Guardiola talked about United's counter-attacking style of play, adding that he had a feeling that their players were going to counter-attack more than two times. He added that it was the frequent build-ups they had to stop in order to win against Solskjaer's team. The Manchester City manager said that he is not going to prepare for the match with a one-track mind to stop United players from running, instead, his team will travel to Old Trafford, play their game and try to score a goal in order to win.

In the December 7 game that City lost 2-1 to United, their defence was torn apart with frequent counter-attacks from Solskjaer's team, ultimately leading to two goals from Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial. City managed to salvage a goal when Nicolas Otamendi scored in the 85th minute. However, Manchester City was the team dominated the Premier League game in terms of ball possession but failed to reduce the gap against Liverpool. Guardiola was of the opinion that his team did not commit a lot of mistakes even though they failed to win at home.

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Guardiola impressed with team's performance

Manchester City defeated Everton in the Premier League with a 2-1 scoreline on December 1. Gabriel Jesus scored twice to secure three points for Pep Guardiola. The manager was visibly impressed by the team’s performance and was all praise for his side.

Pep Guardiola praised his team for their display against Everton in their recent clash. He stated that other teams would finish seventh or eighth in the Premier League had they been trailing with such a huge gap behind league leaders Liverpool. The Spanish tactician applauded his team saying that they played like a top team. He exclaimed that he was delighted with the performance, the team’s approach and behaviour throughout the game.

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(With inputs from agencies)