Aguero in new row with Guardiola
Huddersfield’s Terriers hound City to earn deserved replay
NOW he understands the FA Cup. Now, after two cakewalks, he is a little wiser about the frenzy and the intensity and the capacity to be pushed to the limit.
For the first time in his career, Pep Guardiola will contest a replay after Huddersfield Town, bursting with enthusiasm and fitness, stood toe-totoe with Manchester City for 90 absorbing minutes and kept a fully-deserved clean sheet.
There was no romantic story to match the magnificence of Lincoln City and Millwall but Huddersfield emerged from this scrap with their reputation enhanced; the standing ovation David Wagner and his players received from a recordbreaking crowd of 24,129 was absolutely deserved.
Guardiola was not so churlish to deny that point. He was in one of those moods, though, when he prickled after every question, when he rubbed his hand over head. He is easy to read and here, clearly, frustration was leaping out of him.
He made eight changes to the team that had swatted Bournemouth aside but there was never any hint that City would do to Huddersfield what they had done to West Ham United and Crystal Palace in previous vious rounds.
‘So many teams in the e Premier League are out but we have another chance next Tuesday (February 28) at home and we will try to qualify,’ said Guardiola, who will take his squad to Abu Dhabi for a warmweather training break this week, returning to Manchester chester on Saturday.
In some ways, he will be glad of the opportunity. Everything about this assignment screamed danger, from the spongy pitch that made slick, quick passing problematic to the cracklecra of anticipation in the stands. Huddersfield’s priority is to win a place in the P Promised Land of the P Premier League and with the games coming thick and fast – they p play Reading on Tuesday – Wagner made seven cha changes to the side that had recorded a sixth consecu consecutive league win at Rotherham five days earlier. But the first opportunity fell to the hosts. Five minutes in, Collin Quaner breezed down the left, cut inside Pablo Zabaleta, and teed up Rajiv Van La Parra but his shot lacked the direction to trouble Claudio Bravo — whose performance Guardiola described as being ‘amazing’ — unduly.
City’s response was instant and only a superb intervention from Huddersfield captain Mark Hudson prevented Jesus Navas breaking the deadlock but the Spaniard’s shot was cleared off the line after goalkeeper Joel Coleman had plunged at the feet of Nolito.
Those turned out to be the clearest chances either side fashioned and a measure of Guardiola’s frustration was gauged in the 20th minute when he had a frank exchange with Sergio Aguero, gesticulating his displeasure to the Argentine that he was not running and pressing.
Aguero, whose efforts could be described best as being ineffectual to the point of being disinterested, responded by stretching out his arms and asking what his manager meant; it did nothing to dilute the feeling that all is not well between the pair.
In an attempt to settle the tie, Guardiola introduced talent worth £100million — Kevin De Bruyne and Leroy Sane — but it made no difference, as Huddersfield defended relentlessly and kept City at arms’ length. As their nicknames suggests, they were Terriers, fighting and scrapping for every cause.
‘I have to be honest, City were the better team,’ said manager Wagner, whose side had a 27th-minute ‘goal’ from Jack Payne ruled out for offside. ‘But I am delighted my team showed their identity. I am proud and happy. I believe we can go to City and show our identity again.’