Mourinho plays down Pep rivalry

MANCHESTER — Jose Mourinho has claimed Manchester City will be a more difficult opponent without the suspended Sergio Aguero after insisting today’s 172nd Manchester derby is about the two sets of players rather than his rivalry with Pep Guardiola. Mourinho, who has won just 3 of his 16 encounters with Guardiola as a manager, goes up against the former Barcelona and Bayern Munich coach for the first time in the Premier when Manchester United face City at Old Trafford at 1:30pm.

But despite the sub-plot of their history, Mourinho insists that the decisive factors will be the personnel on the pitch. And Aguero’s absence after being hit with a three-match ban for violent conduct will, according to Mourinho, make United’s task all the more difficult.

“When Aguero is available, we know he plays,” Mourinho said. “We know their formation and their dynamics. When a player like him is ready, he plays. They have an amazingly rich squad in options.

‘‘One thing he (Guardiola) could decide is to play with (Kelechi) Iheanacho, Raheem Sterling or David Silva as a fake nine, between the lines. He has so many options. We have to go step by step, situation after situation, to understand how they will play.

‘‘We know they have so many options that to try to do that job (work out City’s formation) for the players is difficult. With Aguero it’s a difficult situation to face them. But without Aguero, it’s more difficult.’’

With Mourinho facing Guardiola for the first time the pair managed Real Madrid and Barcelona in 2012, the United manager dismissed suggestions that the game will be about them rather than the teams on the pitch. ‘‘It’s a problem?’’ Mourinho said. ‘‘You don’t need my answer. It’s about the players — just the players.

‘‘They are a very good team. They were a very good team last season, two and three seasons ago, four seasons ago.

‘‘Maybe since the new owners arrived at Man City, it’s a very good squad and team. They have had very good managers. They have now very good manager and they have bought some very good players.

‘‘They are what they are since I returned to England in 2013. They are a title contender and we have to respect them that way.’’— The Independent.