Pep Guardiola to Call for Focus in Manchester Derby After High-Profile Errors
By Vayam Lahoti
Manchester City boss Pep Guardiola is set to demand his players do not lose their focus in Saturday evening's Manchester derby, following a number of individual errors in key games.
City have endured an indifferent start to the league campaign and sit seventh in the table, with profligacy in front of goal another issue for the Citizens as they look to get some sweet revenge on their rivals, who outdid them on three out of four occasions last season.
PEP ? After (Wednesday) we will see about United and how we want to play.
— Manchester City (@ManCity) December 5, 2020
I see the positive things after the performances of the last three or four games. More positives than the opposite.
We will improve, we know it, but if we win the games, it’s enough.
? #ManCity pic.twitter.com/mCwEpbaggl
According to the Daily Mail, Guardiola will tell his players that their concentration is tantamount to a good performance on Saturday night following a number of costly lapses in big games, while the Citizens have also dropped points to West Ham, Leeds and Leicester this season.
The visitors are expected to play their regular possession game at Old Trafford but Guardiola is evidently and justifiably wary of the threat posed by the likes of Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes on the counter.
The Catalan's side were beaten at the Theatre of Dreams in March, thanks in no small part to two errors by usually reliable goalkeeper Ederson.
City have a less-than-convincing record against the division's top sides since the start of last season, in part down to a failure to capitalise on the opposition's errors and being the architects of their own downfall.
This has provided something of a selection headache for Guardiola, and opened the door for one outcast.
While Aymeric Laporte has fallen out of favour in recent weeks and hadn't featured in four matches, he played the full 90 minutes in Wednesday’s 3-0 win over Marseille, though it was a dead rubber.
John Stones has struck the chord in Laporte’s absence, with Guardiola boosted by additional defensive solidity in recent games. They haven't conceded in five outings since the remarkable 2-0 defeat against José Mourinho's Tottenham side in north London.
Stones could be a key figure at the heart of the Man City defence in the Manchester derby on Saturday. That seemed an unlikely prospect a month ago, but the Englishman has reclaimed the trust of his manager
Guardiola knows his men will have to be at their resounding best if they're to stop a Manchester United outfit who seem to know how to get the better of this City side.