Pep Guardiola Insists Old Trafford No Longer Scares Manchester City Ahead of Premier League Derby
Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola has insisted Old Trafford poses no fear for his side ahead of the derby clash with Manchester United.
Prior to the arrival of Sheikh Mansour, City endured a miserable run at the home of their Manchester rivals, failing to pick up a single win between 1974 and 2008.
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However, the Citizens have since put an end to that voodoo, having tasted defeat just once in their last seven Premier League visits to Old Trafford.
Speaking about his side's renewed confidence in these fixtures, Guardiola said (as quoted by FourFourTwo): "I don’t make theories about what happened in the past or for what is going to happen in the future. Every game is completely different from the previous one.
"The most important reason why is maybe the fact this club, in the last decade, grew a lot and that is why it is not scary to go there when before it was more difficult.
"The players Manchester City have had in the last 10 seasons have made this game a little bit more equal when before the gap was bigger. Maybe that is the reason but honestly I don’t know."
Knowing victory at Old Trafford would put City back on top and in pole position for the title, Guardiola revealed that only four wins from four will suffice if they are to retain their crown at the end of the season.
He added: "(There are) four games left so we have to win all four games to retain the title.
"It is not an easy place to go but at the same time, it is a nice place to go. We know exactly what we have to do. They fight to finish in the top four and fight for the title. We are going to go there to play a good game."
