A full version of the ManchesterWorld Q&A.
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00:00 Michael, starting with United, is there any chance that Eric Ten Hag could be on his way
00:07 out of the club? Pressure is mounting game on game, there's a lot wrong at the club as
00:12 we spoke about. What can you see happening in the future for him?
00:17 There's a long and a short answer to that. I think the short answer is that for Nye,
00:27 I think his job looks relatively safe. I think certainly Saturday helped in getting a win
00:31 even though they didn't play fantastically once again. I think that, I mean, no one from
00:39 the club, well there's no indication from the club that he's close to losing his job.
00:45 I think it's worth kind of considering the fact that who makes decisions in that regard
00:53 in a couple of months' time is going to probably be Sir Jim Radcliffe who's making decisions
00:58 on the football side, obviously with the Glazers still having a say in it. So, while he's not
01:03 making decisions right now, I don't know whether the fact that he is coming in could influence
01:08 things. I suspect it would. He's not having any direct say at the moment in how the club's
01:12 being run, but the fact that you've got a man coming in who's going to be taking over
01:15 the football operations, it's a huge decision to make potentially even a couple of weeks
01:20 before he's taken over. I'm led to believe that actually Radcliffe would prefer if Ten
01:27 Hag kind of remains and is on board with his approach in terms of dealing with players,
01:32 in terms of dealing with the pretty hardline stance. I think he is along the same line
01:35 as Ten Hag of thinking that the club and the playing squad needs a real overhaul. So, I
01:42 think they're kind of on the same page in that regard. But, as I said, the long-term
01:46 answer is, you know, managers under the Glazers, and they will still be under the Glazers once
01:52 Sir Jim Radcliffe comes in, they don't tend to outlast a prolonged bad run. And that is
01:59 certainly what Manchester United are on now. They've played 16 games this season, one of
02:03 them they've played well in. It's a remarkable thing to say, really. It's absolutely ridiculous
02:07 when you consider it. I think long-term things have got to drastically improve for him to
02:12 keep his job. But I think at this stage, in the immediate future, I don't think it looks
02:18 like he's potentially close to losing his job at this stage.
02:22 And Champions League returns this week. Obviously, Man United are dealt quite an easy group on
02:29 paper other than Bayern Munich, you'd say. But, you know, as you've touched on it there,
02:33 their form hasn't been good enough at all. What can you see coming out of, firstly, the
02:37 game against Copenhagen that they face this week, and also the group as a whole?
02:42 Well, I mean, you'd be amazed if they play well, if they go to Denmark and play well,
02:48 because as I've just touched on, they just don't play well in football matches at the
02:51 moment. And I think I wouldn't be surprised if they do go there and get a result, because
02:56 I mean, Copenhagen were decent in the last game when the sides met. I think they've been
03:01 pretty good in the group so far, pretty good domestically as well. So it's not going to
03:04 be, you know, on paper you would traditionally think of Copenhagen as quite a straightforward
03:08 task. I don't think it's going to be the case. But, you know, United have got enough quality
03:11 in their squad that, I mean, Saturday showed that there are players who are capable of
03:15 producing individual moments that can win football matches. They, for all the issues
03:19 this year, have tended to be relatively, well, the last couple of weeks, excluding the City
03:25 in the Newcastle game, before that there had been a little bit of a run of good defensive
03:29 performances, obviously they kept a clean sheet again at the weekend. So if they can
03:33 keep in the game, keep a pretty tight, a pretty dogged performance, then I do fancy someone
03:38 from United to go and nick it with a bit of quality at the other end. But in terms of
03:41 going there and dominating them, it's just very unlikely to happen anyway. But it's a
03:46 big game for United because, I don't want to say must win, I think that's Freya's bound
03:51 about a little bit too much, but I think that they probably need the win if they have any
03:56 chance of getting through there. I mean, it's BSE, it looks like it's going to be between
03:59 them and Galatasaray for the second spot. Galatasaray on four points, United on three.
04:04 So United play Copenhagen this week, and Bayern play Galatasaray. So you'd presume Bayern
04:11 win, United win, then United go into second, and then they play Galatasaray next in Turkey.
04:15 So huge game there. And I think the small, slight advantage for United is they finish
04:20 the group against Bayern Munich, who could already be qualified, could race and rotate
04:24 in the last game of the group. So I think Copenhagen is huge, basically. It almost sets
04:29 up a winner-takes-all class, potentially against Galatasaray in the next round of fixtures.
04:34 So it's a huge game for United on Wednesday night.
04:37 Moving on to City, Michael, obviously we've seen a fantastic display and proving a fantastic
04:44 signing Jeremy Docky. Four assists last time out and a goal as well against Bournemouth.
04:48 Unbelievable performance individually. How much has he added to Guardiola's team and
04:53 what can you see him going on to achieve in the future?
04:56 Yeah, he was an absolute joy to watch on Saturday. Not even just the goals and assists, his dribbling.
05:02 He kept bamboozling the Bournemouth defenders. He's brought something really different to
05:07 City, but his trickery and his fast feet in the ball have really proven difficult for
05:11 opponents to deal with, and his turn of pace. Guardiola said something on Saturday, he's
05:15 one of the quickest players in the world over five yards, which is a big statement to make.
05:20 Guardiola, he's just been absolutely effusive with his praise of the player, and has just
05:27 repeatedly said that he's brought something different to the City squad. His ability to
05:30 go on both feet as well was remarkable on Saturday. He scored with his left foot, deflected
05:36 in off a Kanji, so it was a Kanji score, but provided an assist, let's say. The defence
05:40 split and pass was outstanding, I thought, for City's fourth or fifth, I can't even
05:46 remember what goal, fifth goal. Just all-round brilliant, really, really good player. And
05:52 look, you think that last season, by and large, City's main wingers were Jack Grealish and
05:57 Riyad Mahrez, even Bernardo Silva. They are players who, they get the ball, they come
06:03 inside. That's what we know that they're going to do. Phil Foden's got something a little
06:06 bit different, especially when he plays from the left, obviously he can go outside. I mean,
06:10 Goku has brought a complete raw energy and pace that is just completely almost off-script
06:16 from all the other players at the moment. And the ability to get the ball, face it with
06:20 full-back and just fly past him is brilliant. He's brought something completely different.
06:24 And as I say, not just the ability to come inside, which he's great at, but to go outside
06:28 a full-back is, yeah, it's really, really good. And I think that Guardiola is interesting
06:33 because he spoke at the weekend about how he loves players who dribble with the ball,
06:35 which I mean, he's gone full circle, Guardiola, hasn't he? Because we think about that Barcelona
06:41 team who just pass, pass, pass, never give away the ball. And now he's saying, go on,
06:45 give the ball to my wingers and let them run on a full-back. And invariably with that,
06:49 you're going to lose possession more than if you just kind of look for that pass inside
06:52 or whatever. But yeah, he's been brilliant. And as I say, Saturday, he was absolutely
06:56 superb. Guardiola could not have praised him more after the game. And yeah, really good
07:00 signing and the type of signing that Manchester City always seem to make. These diamonds in
07:05 the rough and okay, it's only the first couple of weeks, I suppose, still of being a Manchester
07:09 City player, but already you can see the progression, the development from his first couple of appearances,
07:15 performances, and I think City have signed a fantastic player.
07:18 Obviously, picking you up in the Champions League again, they are top of the group, three
07:23 out of three. What can you see coming from this next game for them against Young Boys?
07:29 Is it going to be another rout, do you think? Can they just go four out of four?
07:33 Yeah, I think so. I'd be surprised if they don't. I think he'll rest and rotate. He's
07:37 got Chelsea on Sunday in the Premier League. I think between Bournemouth, Young Boys, Chelsea,
07:42 he'll look to just rest a little bit with the emphasis, with the aim of going into that
07:47 Chelsea game as fresh as possible. I mean, he's got Tuesday to Sunday, so what's that
07:51 five days rest in between? So they should be relatively fresh anyway, but a couple of
07:56 players dropped out against Bournemouth, Diaz, Grealish, Guardiola, I think they'll all come
08:01 back in. I think he said on Saturday that he basically wants to get this wrapped up
08:06 now, this group stage, as quickly as possible. If they win on Tuesday, they're through to
08:10 the next round, and he can basically rest, certainly kind of rest and rotate for the
08:14 last two games. I think he might go a little bit stronger against Leipzig at home just
08:18 to kind of secure a top spot, but yeah, I'm expecting it to be a pretty straightforward
08:22 one. Maybe the likes of Rico Lewis come in, Nunes, kind of slightly fringe members of
08:30 the squad. We're recording this just about 15 minutes before Pep Guardiola's press conference.
08:35 We're not totally sure if Erling Haaland is going to play, but I'd be surprised if he
08:38 does personally. I just think that if there's any doubt about his fitness, why rush him
08:42 back to this game? Just get him, you know, wrap him up in cotton wool, as they say, and
08:47 get him back for Sunday's game against Chelsea. But as I say, he's made a pretty straightforward
08:51 one for City, and they tend to make pretty light work of the Champions League group stage.
08:56 Another indication of just what a superb side they are. Guardiola keeps going on a bit,
09:00 but the consistency of City getting through the group stages, you can't argue with that.
09:03 So yeah, I'm expecting a straightforward one on Tuesday night.
09:07 And finally, I've obviously just checked there, but City, Real Madrid, Barcelona, the only
09:13 three who have gone 100% in the group so far. Is that possibly a sign for what's to come
09:18 in this Champions League campaign? Do you think City are still the top dogs in Europe
09:22 this season so far?
09:24 Yeah, I think so. I think so. I think, I mean, I don't watch copious amounts of La Liga or
09:31 Bundesliga or whatever, but I think those three you've just named, potentially chucking
09:35 Bayern Munich as well, are the four sides I look at and think that are probably likely
09:39 to go on and win the Champions League this year. And they are just, yeah, three or four
09:45 fantastic teams. But I think City, like, City, player for player, probably are the better
09:52 side. But City now have developed the knack of getting through to the latter stages of
09:57 this tournament. And three years in a row, they've got the semi-final. They've now got
10:01 over that hoodoo of winning the competition as well, which I think will be a little bit
10:05 of a release for them. I think it'll take away some of the nerves, you know, if they
10:08 were to hypothetically get their quarterfinal or semi-final this year again, or even a final.
10:13 And of course, finals at Wembley this year as well, which I think is a big boost for
10:17 City. Pep Guardiola has already won a Champions League at Wembley, hasn't he? So, yeah, I
10:22 make City favourites for it, but I don't make City... How can I put it? Those other sides
10:27 you mentioned are such good teams that I certainly think they would offer real competition for
10:33 City for the Champions League, yeah.