PEP IS WARY OF JOSE’S GIANTS
Guardiola prepares for aerial assault
PEP GUARDIOLA wants his Manchester City stars to avoid giving away cheap set- pieces at Old Trafford for fear of being toppled by Jose Mourinho’s United giants.
City have conceded twice from set plays in the last week, from a throw-in against Southampton and a corner during the late win over West Ham.
And Guardiola is mindful of the aerial bombardment coming his defence’s way in Sunday’s derby.
Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic and Chris Smalling dwarf their City counterparts, with Zlatan Ibrahimovic also primed for a comeback. Mourinho hopes to have Marouane Fellaini and Phil Jones available, too.
It presents a potential problem for Guardiola, who admits defending from restarts is an issue for his side — even though their record is surprisingly strong.
The ease with which West Ham created opportunities from corners worried Guardiola and City worked on defensive shape while away in Ukraine this week.
Angelo Ogbonna headed the opening goal for David Moyes’s Hammers at the Etihad Stadium last Sunday, beating Nicolas Otamendi in the air.
But Guardiola was equally concerned about the ease with which Aaron Cresswell was allowed to whip in a cross following a short corner. Michail Antonio missed a huge chance earlier in the game when left unmarked at the back post after Cheikhou Kouyate’s flick-on from another corner.
Days before, Southampton’s Virgil van Dijk headed over Ederson’s crossbar after climbing higher than any marker. That came after a lapse by Otamendi had resulted in a set play.
Oriel Romeu’s goal later in that game was a product of City being caught napping at a throw-in and their subsequent failure to deal with a high, looping cross.
Vincent Kompany’s importance cannot be overstated. The captain felt ‘discomfort’ before this week’s defeat by Shakhtar Donetsk and missed the match. If Kompany is out of Sunday’s match, Guardiola will probably have to field the shaky Eliaquim Mangala.
Meanwhile, Yaya Toure claims United will fear City in the derby. ‘They are going to be worried about us,’ said the midfielder
‘But that’s going to make them very dangerous on the counterattack and we have to be ready.’