My City resort to dirty tricks? Never, says Pep
PEP Guardiola has hit back at Jose Mourinho by insisting he would never order his players to foul their opponents. ahead of last weekend’s Manchester derby, the united manager suggested City players dive and also said Guardiola’s men commit tactical fouls to stop counter-attacks — warning referee Michael oliver to be wary of them.
‘i never, never, never, never sent a message to my players,’ said Guardiola, whose runaway leaders host Tottenham tonight looking for a 16th successive Premier league win.
‘You can ask the players if my message on the pitch was to make fouls. i don’t use this kind of message.’
The Catalan, whose side beat united 2-1, insisted it is difficult to commit fouls when a team has the ball as much as City do.
‘i don’t know how many fouls we make on the pitch,’ said Guardiola. ‘But i think when you have 70-per-cent possession we are not that team. When we have the ball, we kick each other — i don’t think that happens.’
The visit of Mauricio Pochettino’s men marks the first time £50million signing Kyle Walker will face his old club.
at the time of City’s swoop, many questioned the hefty fee. But Walker has hit back at his critics with a series of fine performances and has been a key factor in City’s form, leading Guardiola to believe that the rightback is one of the world’s best in his position.
‘right now i’d rate him as one of the best, definitely,’ said Guardiola, who believes he can help Walker improve mentally. i’d like to help him to solve not just the problems through his physicality but also through his thinking.
‘When you are so strong physically, you solve all the problems that way. When you get to a certain age you need to think more about what is going to happen.’
Walker isn’t the only one Guardiola is working on. in an ominous message to the rest of the league, he vowed to improve his whole team.
‘i have the feeling we can do better,’ said Guardiola. ‘and that’s what we will try to do. There are many things that we can improve. it depends on the opponent, because we do not play alone.’
That is a scary prospect — but Guardiola dismissed the idea of his side emulating arsenal’s invincibles. ‘it’s not going to happen,’ he said. ‘We are going to lose games, it belongs to arsene Wenger.’
Guardiola has been linked with a renewed move for one of Wenger’s current players, alexis Sanchez, but claimed he was in the dark.
‘That’s a good question,’ he said. ‘i don’t know.’
The City boss says Vincent Kompany is not far from a return and admitted they would be looking for a centre-back in January.
Meanwhile, Pochettino has patched up his differences with Guardiola after branding him ‘disrespectful’ for describing Tottenham as ‘the Harry Kane’ team.
and he went further in support by saying City were within their rights to celebrate so noisily at old Trafford, regardless of how much it irked Mourinho.
it remains to be seen if Spurs can give Guardiola and his players a taste of their own medicine today but Pochettino discussed the musical possibilities with relish.
‘look, i am not going to talk about what happened between Manchester united and City, only i want to tell you, when we won our games, like at Huddersfield, or like in Wembley against Stoke, the players put on the music and it’s so loud.
‘it’s normal, if you lose the game, you are not going to put music on. You are going to the changing room, and your shower, and you want to go quick back home.
‘But when they are winning, it’s normal they put on music in the changing room. i wish that we can have loud music tomorrow. But i am never (going to complain) if another team celebrates because sometimes it’s good, when you lose, and you hear all that happens in another changing room, it’s good to feel the pain.’