Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola’s delight at his team’s 3-1 derby win over Manchester United did not stop him from delivering a strong message to winger Raheem Sterling over his showboating at the end of the game.
City midfielder Sterling (left) produced some fancy step overs in the final stages of the derby
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“He made some movements with the legs, we can avoid it, but he is young, he can improve,” said Guardiola when asked about his conversation with the 23-year-old. Despite being clearly superior to its local rivals, the Spaniard was unhappy with his side’s first-half display. “The first half was not so good, we played like we didn’t want to lose the ball, but without the intention to attack,” he said.
“I felt when I watched my players, (they were) a team that felt the pressure. They wanted to do well in the derby. We were stable, we scored one goal, the first 15 minutes was good and after that we didn’t press so well,” he added. “We deserved the victory. The first half we played a little bit with fear, but football is a game and we didn’t want to lose the ball. We didn’t want to attack and they defended well. In the second half, the game was a bit (more) open. So we had to find more space but we made a good performance against a top, top team.”
With City 3-1 up in the final minutes, Sterling had the ball deep in the United half on the left wing, but rather than take the ball to the corner flag or keep possession, the England forward produced some fancy footwork step overs. The antics angered United’s Spanish midfielder Juan Mata, who appeared to believe that Sterling was taunting his team and, at the final whistle, Guardiola’s first move was to confront Sterling on the field about the episode.
“He made some movements with the legs, we can avoid it, but he is young, he can improve,” said Guardiola when asked about his conversation with the 23-year-old. Despite being clearly superior to its local rivals, the Spaniard was unhappy with his side’s first-half display. “The first half was not so good, we played like we didn’t want to lose the ball, but without the intention to attack,” he said.
“I felt when I watched my players, (they were) a team that felt the pressure. They wanted to do well in the derby. We were stable, we scored one goal, the first 15 minutes was good and after that we didn’t press so well,” he added. “We deserved the victory. The first half we played a little bit with fear, but football is a game and we didn’t want to lose the ball. We didn’t want to attack and they defended well. In the second half, the game was a bit (more) open. So we had to find more space but we made a good performance against a top, top team.”
Silva’s turn City gold
Premier League leader Manchester City registered a convincing 3-1 win over Manchester United in its derby clash, leaving Pep Guardiola’s unbeaten side two points clear of Liverpool at the top. While a long season remains for City to prove again its dominance in the Premier League, there is no doubt at all about which is the top dog in the city of Manchester. It was not until the 86th minute, when substitute Ilkay Gundogan finished off a 44-pass move for City’s third that the outcome was decided. But when it came to the quality of their football, their passing, movement, organisation, individual flair and pace, City was in a different league from Jose Mourinho’s side. United is now 12 points behind City, languishing in eighth place, and that gap was evident throughout the encounter where United could offer little more than determination and effort in response to the smooth and stylish display from City.