Ole’s helpline is an option for Pep
PEP GUARDIOLA wants Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s phone number ahead of Manchester United’s clash with Liverpool next month.
With United rejuvenated and flying again under Solskjaer, Guardiola and City need help if they are going to overhaul Liverpool’s lead.
And Guardiola reckons it will be “perfect” if United beat Jurgen Klopp’s men at Old Trafford on February 24.
But before anyone starts shouting “dirty tricks” the City boss was only joking as he was quizzed if cross-town rivals United could do the Blues a favour in the race to be champions.
“I don’t know really,” said Guardiola. “What do you think I am going to think before that game? I don’t know. I think United, for the history they have, they can win.
“But we have to go to Old Trafford and we have to try and win there too. If United beat Liverpool, perfect. But if they beat us the situation is the same.
“We can do what we can do but for United v Liverpool we can do nothing.
“I don’t have the telephone number for Solskjaer, maybe I’m going to ask him but I don’t have it.
“What we can do is beat United and then we are going to be there in the race but before that how many games do we have?
“We have recent experience of what can happen through Crystal Palace and Leicester, so it would be a big mistake to think of that when we want to compete in all competitions.
“Before United play Liverpool you can ask me again and we will know more clearly what the situation is. But there are many games for both sides before that.”
A bigger concern for Guardiola is a potential fixture pile-up at the end of the season with City already facing a rearranged game with Everton due to the Carabao Cup Final on February 24.
With already Liverpool out of both cups, if City and United get through to the FA Cup Sixth Round the Manchester derby would have to be postponed.
Guardiola added : “Of course, I am a little bit concerned but what can we do?
“I don’t know if it’s an advantage to Liverpool or not.
If you play every few days then everyone is in rhythm but sometimes if you have a week or 10 days off then the rhythm might be wrong.”
Of more concern is the potential for an FA Cup red card to rob City of a key player in the Premier
League. Straight red cards in the FA Cup mean a Premier League ban – and that is another potential danger for City to navigate if they make progress in the cup.
STEVE BATES