Pep: City can still rule after I’ve gone

PEP GUARDIOLA has lost a few battles against Manchester United with home defeats against teams managed by Louis van Gaal, Jose Mourinho and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer but Manchester City always seem to still win the war.

The reigning champions are expected to dominate today’s Manchester derby and consolidate their chase for a third Premier League title in a row.

Guardiola hasn’t finished below United since he arrived in 2016 and the gap between the clubs grew to a massive 35 points last season, prompting the appointment of Erik ten Hag at Old Trafford.

The big question is whether City’s success can continue beyond Guardiola, whose contract runs out at the end of this season without any clear indication about his long-term future one way or the other.

United collapsed after their serial trophy winner Sir Alex Ferguson retired in 2013 but Guardiola has no fears City will suffer a repeat when he leaves.

Asked about his vision of a postPep Manchester City, the 51-yearold could not have been more affirmative. ‘There will be zero problems. I am 100 per cent convinced about that. The club knows exactly what is the target and the next step,’ said the Spaniard.

‘They know the strategy. They know what they have to do right now, after the World Cup, next season and the following seasons.’

Whereas Ferguson dominated every part of Old Trafford when he reigned supreme for 27 years, leaving a huge vacuum when he departed, Guardiola insists that it’s different at his club.

‘I never buy the players. I never sell the players. It is not my money. It is the club,’ he argues. ‘The club are the most important words and every decision we make is because we are thinking about the club and the day after tomorrow, and for the next years and the future.

‘What’s important is you believe the way you do things will give you trophies and titles. The club knows exactly what they have to do.’