THE NASTY NEIGHBOURS

Pep blasts Ole over ‘tactical fouls’ jibes OLE: ‘They will snap at your ankles and kick you. The ref must watch it’ PEP: ‘Did he say THAT? I have never sent a player out to foul anyone’

PEP GUARDIOLA accused Ole Gunnar Solskjaer of trying to influence the referee ahead of tonight’s Manchester derby.

The United boss claimed City are guilty of ‘tactical’ fouling and warned referee Andre Marriner to be alert to it when the two sides meet at Old Trafford.

Guardiola hit back, accusing Solskjaer of trying to get into Marriner’s head before

FROM BACK PAGE the Premier League clash. “Did he say that?” asked the Manchester City boss, when told of Solskjaer’s comments.

“With an average of 65 or 70 per cent with the ball, how do you do that?

“I don’t like it. I don’t like it, no. My team is not built to think and create for that, not at all.

“In 10 seasons as a manager, I never prepared for a game thinking about these kind of things.

“Never have I said to one player to make fouls.”

Asked if the comments could influence Marriner (above), Guardiola said: “That’s the reason why, of course. But I don’t think so, because we don’t do that.”

Solskjaer had earlier warned Marriner to be alert, claiming Guardiola’s side do not get the yellow cards they should.

“We’ve got to be ready for their aggression, because they will snap at your ankles and heels and kick you,” he said. “They’re not going to allow us easy counterattacking because there will be fouls, I have absolutely no doubt about it.

“When you watch those games, they commit so many players forward and will be stopping us as high as they can. But you don’t get the yellow cards, do you? It’s not my decision, it’s the referee’s responsibility.”