Former Manchester City defender Bacary Sagna believes that his former side are too exposed to the counter-attack against opposition teams.
The Blues were given a wake-up call on Wednesday night when goals from Sekou Mara and Moussa Djenepo secured a shock victory for Southampton in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup. City were unusually sub-par against the Saints in a match that cost Pep Guardiola the chance to secure the quadruple.
Ahead of the Manchester derby on Saturday lunchtime, Sagna has claimed that his old team needs to be more wary of being countered and pointed to examples over the years of when City have struggled against sides who have sat back and hit them on the break. "Man City have not become worse defensively, they still have the ball a lot but they're getting caught on the break, that's what happens when you take risks defensively," he told Midnite.
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"Most goals Man City concede are counter-attacks, it reminds me of the first season when I joined Man City where we had 70 per cent or 80 per cent possession and still lose. We lost 1-0 to Stoke City despite creating loads of chances and having lots of possession, it was similar to the game against Liverpool where they lost after a counter-attack from a corner kick.
"Everyone who faces Man City knows how to play against them, they know where the space is and when to counter-attack. You know it will work for you because other teams have beaten Man City by counter-attacking.
"Last year Man City were caught on the break against Real Madrid. It's a bad habit they have in the Champions League, when they lose it's not about mistakes, they get caught on the counter-attacks.
"We were vulnerable against Monaco in 2016/17, we had the ball and scored, but we got caught on a quick free-kick and a counter-attack. It's similar to how they went out of the Champions League last year."
Despite Sagna's concerns about City's ability to regroup when they are not on the front foot, the 39-year-old is still confident that the Blues will be victorious at Old Trafford this weekend. He added: "Man City will win against Man United, they have the better squad.
"Man United won't be on the same level as Man City, they are too good, it's not being arrogant but they are facing a better team. Man City have the better quality, possession, and mentality, they will win.
"Erik ten Hag is a good manager and did extremely well with Ajax. But I know Pep Guardiola, I know how he will prepare for the game."
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