Man United vs Man City: Pep Guardiola admits 'no info' on Michael Carrick's tactics

Pep Guardiola has warned his Manchester City players they must be ready to adapt on the fly tomorrow, as they head into the 198th Manchester Derby facing a tactical "unknown"

The clash will be Michael Carrick’s first game as United’s interim head coach following the mid-season departure of Ruben Amorim. 

While Guardiola has studied Carrick’s previous work at Middlesbrough and his 2021 caretaker stint at Old Trafford, the City boss insists that data is effectively useless given the talent currently at United’s disposal.

Speaking ahead of the trip to Old Trafford, Guardiola cut a cautious figure, explaining that a manager’s tactics are only as good as the players executing them.

"If you don't have more info of the opponent, you focus on yourself and the players," Guardiola said according Premier League.

"You can have some ideas of what Middlesbrough has done or when Michael was in his part as a manager at Man United, but tactics are about the players and the players tomorrow are different to the Middlesbrough ones."

Guardiola highlighted the lack of mid-game adjustments available in football compared to other sports. "I don't have a timeout after 10 minutes to tell them what Michael wants to do. When you don't have info it's better to focus on yourself."

The Spaniard pointed to City’s recent encounter with Chelsea’s new management as proof of how quickly a "new manager bounce" can shift a team's identity mid-match.

"The game we played against Chelsea recently with their new manager, the first half was completely different to how they played in the second half," he noted. "That's why you have to focus on yourself."

City enter the derby sitting second in the Premier League, six points behind leaders Arsenal, while United sit in seventh, desperate for a turnaround under Carrick.

For Guardiola, the game represents a unique challenge, facing a manager who once held his highest respect as a player, now wielding a squad reinforced by the returns of AFCON 2025 stars Amad Diallo and Bryan Mbeumo.