Guardiola has ridiculous plans for Red Devils tie

MANCHESTER. — Pep Guardiola has ”ridiculous” tactical plans swirling in his head before Saturday’s derby against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Manchester City can go within two points of English Premier League leaders Arsenal with victory at Old Trafford, where Guardiola has won six times in nine visits.

The City boss operated with two midfielders as false nines during a dominant Carabao Cup win at United three years ago, which Kevin De Bruyne claimed to have taken the players only 15 minutes to perfect in training.

Guardiola is not averse to switching things up, with Joao Cancelo starting as a right winger during away games at Liverpool and Chelsea this season – and he may have another surprise up his sleeve.

”I would like to arrive against United with the average of minutes in the legs of the players being quite similar because I have a few ideas, some thoughts, ridiculous ones against United,” Guardiola said.

”But still I didn’t watch their last games. I have to see the way they play at home and if they change something. I still have to review it. That is why I don’t have a clear line-up against United.”

City go into the game in second place in the English Premier League, four points clear of their old rivals in fourth.

Guardiola has won nine out of 17 meetings with United since replacing Manuel Pellegrini in 2016, losing six.

The Spaniard has finished ahead of the Red Devils in all of his six seasons in charge at City.

Erik ten Hag is the fourth different United manager he has faced in that time. Guardiola has beaten them all, most recently the Dutchman, in a 6-3 victory at Etihad Stadium in October.

However, United have dropped just seven points in 10 English Premier League games since and have won their last four, their best run since March 2021.

The idea of Guardiola coming up with something “ridiculous” conjures up all kinds of ideas, which, if implemented, feeds the narrative that he over-thinks some high-profile games, sometimes to the detriment of his own team. The most obvious example was the 2020 Champions League quarter-final, when City were overwhelming favourites to beat Lyon in a one-off game, only to lose after Guardiola had switched to a 3-5-2 formation to counter the speed of a side that had beaten the Blues in the group stage of the competition. — Mailonline.