It’s a huge week for Manchester City. In the space of just a few days, the Citizens were scheduled to play Club Brugge in a potentially deciding Champions League tie and there is the Manchester Derby coming up at the weekend. But besides the match preparation, City manager Pep Guardiola was forced to endure scathing comments in the media suggesting that he’s disrespecting United. And why? Just because he insisted that the team should only focus on the next fixture and not think too far ahead.##NAJAVA_MECA_5949337##After his team delivered the win on Wednesday night and put themselves in a good position to make it into the Champions League knockout round, Pep vented out his frustration at the media.The Blues’ boss was clearly unhappy that his words ahead of the game – which City won 4-1 to go to the brink of qualification for the last 16 – were misinterpreted as playing down the size of the derby, or the ability of the Reds. Asked about the derby, he launched into a tirade. “The people taking the p*ss for me for saying today is more important. Only now the important one is United. For me today was really important. Twenty-eight games left in the Premier League here just six to qualify in the Champions League. Everyone saying ‘Pep is talking bulls***’ but I wasn’t. This was so important. Hopefully in the last 16 with the best teams in Europe.”What does Pep Guardiola do on his phone alone in the stadium? 📱 pic.twitter.com/lqPBHJ4G8L— Goal (@goal) November 3, 2021 It’s understandable that the big Premier League clash is capturing the imagination of both the fans and the press in England, but Guardiola wants his team to take it one match at a time.”Every game, my focus is the next one, never the second one. For TV broadcasters the United game is the most important thing, but you cannot imagine how important it was to ensure the points against Brugge. Only now we start to think about United.”The Manchester Derby will be played at Old Trafford on Saturday.
