Manchester United boss Ole Gunner Solskjaer says his team will benefit from the rotation as they set to face Pep Guardiola’s City in the Carabao cup on Wednesday.
Ole believes that he has got fresh to name in his team after the win against Aston Villa on Friday as they move level on point with Liverpool in the premier league, whereas Manchester City had to wait till Sunday afternoon for Chelsea’s clash.
“Well, you have two teams who want to get to the final. We’ve had four days now after Villa so, hopefully, we’ve got more fresh legs,” Solskjaer said.
“It’s a difficult season, but I think we’ll benefit from the rotation we’ve made. I thought it was going to be important anyway this season, having fresh legs. You could see that with City against Chelsea: the amount of fresh legs, intensity and sharpness, after the break, they had.
“It showed, and that was a quality game – physically, one of the more intense games there’s been in the league this season. I don’t think that’s a surprise there because they had a few extra days to prepare for that one.
“[These are] two teams that want to go through. I think the last game [December’s Manchester derby, which ended 0-0] showed two teams with respect for each other. They weren’t as much possession-based against Chelsea, they were more counter-attacking. They’ve got quick players on the break – of course, we have to be aware of that, as well as their possession game.”
The Reds did a Premier League double win over Pep Guardiola’s side last season, although Solskjaer stated that the game was won with counter attacks and brilliant defense.
“I’ve seen progress and sometimes the results don’t show the whole picture of the game,” Ole added. “Some of our counter-attacking goals in the wins that we’ve had have been brilliant.
“Away in the league, when we won, we could have scored four or five in a 10-15-minute period. The counter-attacks were just out of this world. But we’ve had less control of the ball and defended fantastically.”
The both teams have played in the premier league this season and it ended a goalless draw and the Norwegian stated that it’s a sign of progress.
“Still, I felt that was a progression, staying more in the game. You never know what kind of system he [Guardiola] is going to come up with, but you know you have to defend really well against Man City.
“It’s hard to keep the ball in their half when they’re got it because they can find a way of overloading. So you have to be brave and be compact and trust your players. Then again, when we get the ball, we need to keep it and play out of their press.
“They’re one of the quickest ones to put the counter-pressure on and want to win it high up. It’s a balance that I think we’ve found, but we didn’t have that X-Factor the last game. Maybe because they were a little bit more cagey and set up to counter-attack more as well.”
“There have been some fascinating games and I feel we’ve got closer and closer and results, sometimes you can’t control.”
