Manchester City coach Pep Guardiola answering questions before his sides International Champions Cup match against Manchester United (photo credit Jose Castellanos)
The first Manchester derby outside of the UK will take place in Houston as part of the International Champions Cup. Coaches Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola will face each other in another derby, where they are preparing their teams for the upcoming season.
Manchester City’s coach Pep Guardiola, who is been with the ‘Citizens’ since last year, is coming to the season with the mentality to improve what the team did last year. Guardiola’s side finished third in the Premier League last season, and have an acceptable Champions League tournament. Pep mentioned during the team’s press conference prior to the match that he believes his team adapted to his coaching style way faster of what he expected. He also added, “it was important that I was able to adapt fast to the way football is play in the Premier league as well as to the players City already had’.
On the other hand, Manchester United is coming to this season to try to get back to the top of the league. Mourinho’s side had a disappointing year in the Premier, where they finished in sixth place. Although the Red Devils struggled in the Premier, they won the UEFA Europa League last May. This championship got them a spot in the Champions League, where they will be back to face top teams in Europe.
“This is a friendly which is not very friendly” forward Marcus Rashford commented during the Manchester United press conference at a Houston downtown hotel. He also talked about his growth as a player. “I am ready for the upcoming season, at my age I am still developing and growing. Last season I had many games, and in every season, you have different roles on the team where you learn from what happened in the past. The offseason was good to regroup after a long season, and now I am feeling refresh and ready”.
The match in Houston will be one of the most important events of the year in Texas. Also, it is one of the European derbies the ICC will have in the USA this year. Fans are expecting to experience a good quality match, even though the teams are still in preseason.
Manchester City
Manchester United
