Ralf Rangnick has told his Manchester United players that they will have to combat Manchester City's overloads if they are to defeat their neighbours today (Sunday).
The two Manchester clubs will lock horns once again this afternoon in a crucial match that could have a major impact on both of their aims this season. City are looking to keep ahead of Liverpool at the top of the table with United trying to secure a Champions League place.
It will also be the first time that Rangnick has come up against Guardiola in a competitive match. However, the interim boss is very familiar with his opponent's methods and has laid out the plan for his team to be victorious at the Etihad.
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“Very challenging, because they have a very specific idea and style of football," Rangnick told United's in-house media on how difficult it will be to face Guardiola's side. "Trying to create overloads in the half spaces, even including the goalkeeper.
"I think they are one of the few teams in Europe who use their goalkeeper as a centre half or centre back and with their false nine, with [Joao] Cancelo for example playing like a six, they try to create overloads in midfield. We need to be aware of this and at the same time not let them play their kind of football all the time.
"We need to be on the front foot. We need to be proactive and always in a position where we can take the ball away from them or at least intercept and don’t let them be in possession all the time. This is the biggest challenge. We will see if we are ready for that.
"I think we’ve become more stable in defence. We haven’t conceded as many goals as the team did until the end of November. We create enough chances in the last couple of games and now it’s about showing that against one of the best teams in the world.”
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