Erik ten Hag laughs off Pep Guardiola's "ridiculous" mind games ahead of derby
Erik ten Hag has laughed off Pep Guardiola's mind games ahead of Saturday's Manchester Derby showdown.
City boss Guardiola said he had some “ridiculous thoughts” in his head regarding his team selection for the lunchtime Old Trafford clash. But Ten Hag – out for revenge after United's 6-3 mauling at City earlier this season - dismissed Guardiola's attempts to unsettle him ahead of their second meeting.
“I don’t care about that, about what he's thinking,” Ten Hag said of his opposite number. “But he did it more often and we're prepared for that, if he does different things. We have our principles, our rules for football.”
Ten Hag admitted City taught United a lesson the last time the two sides met and has called on his players to be brave when they face their local rivals again at lunchtime on Saturday.
The Dutchman added: “What does it mean to be brave? Always it's a way of playing, in possession, giving each other options, taking the right decisions, going forward when it’s possible, defending and being on the front foot, being aggressive.
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“That's what it means to be brave. As a team, act with togetherness, to have the same ideas in every situation. That means bravery. Top football is about results, but you want to do it in a certain way. Be proactive, adventurous and also entertain.”
Erik ten Hag laughed off Pep Guardiola's comments (MUTV)Asked if United are ready to challenge City on an equal footing, Ten Hag said: “We'll see tomorrow. Of course, if you want to win trophies, you have to compete with the best and City are the best, so we look forward to challenging them.”
The derby sees the Premier League's most in-form strikers go head-to-head in Marcus Rashford and Erling Haaland. United forward Rashford has 15 goals this season and Haaland has 27, with Ten Hag confident his defenders can stop City's goal machine.
Who will come out on top in the Manchester Derby? Have your say in the comments!
Erik ten Hag is hoping to outfox Pep Guardiola and nullify Erling Haaland (Getty Images)“It's clear he's a really good player,” Ten Hag said of the Norwegian hitman. “But we also have good players. I'm convinced our players are good enough to compete with all of the players from City.”
On Friday night, United were in the process of completing the loan signing of Burnley striker Wout Weghorst for the remainder of the season. The 6'6" striker was on loan at Besiktas, but United have paid a fee of £2.5million to end that agreement and take him themselves.
United midfielder Donny van de Beek is out for the season with a knee injury suffered in a 3-0 win over Bournemouth. Ten Hag said of his compatriot: “He will be back for the start of pre-season. But for the rest of the season he's out. Our thoughts are with him.”
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