Guardiola’s Unusual Preparations Drive Man City to Comforting Derby Victory

Pep Guardiola introduced a series of atypical measures behind the scenes to lift Manchester City out of a run of poor results, and the changes paid off as City produced a high-intensity victory over Manchester United at the Etihad Stadium.

Club sources and match reports said Guardiola altered normal routines in the days before the derby, including holding an unusually late walk-through at the Etihad the day before the game, arriving at the stadium earlier than normal and spending prolonged time on tactical planning with his coaching staff. The manager also delegated on-pitch training to backroom coaches on one occasion to focus on detailed tactical work and meetings, and he returned to the team refreshed after short breaks that included time at the BMW PGA Championship at Wentworth and the US Open final in New York.

Those preparations were aimed at changing the club’s mood and disrupting a pattern City feared could become entrenched after a poor start to the season and a damaging defeat at Brighton two weeks earlier. Guardiola and his staff focused on the centre of the pitch as United’s liability and worked on a midfield shape designed to overload that area. The plan initially took the form of a diamond setup in training before the team began the match in a compact parallelogram intended to create numerical advantages and free Jeremy Doku to roam into dangerous central positions.

The tactical tweak produced immediate dividends. Erling Haaland threatened inside the first 20 seconds and went on to score twice, while Doku provided two assists as City dominated large spells of the contest. Phil Foden’s header underlined City’s attacking lift and the midfielder said the international break had helped. "It will have done a world of good," Foden said after the match. "Today has been a big build up. What I like is that we mixed it up. Maybe in the past we have not done that."

Guardiola praised the players’ response, highlighting their body language and spirit after a tense week that included tributes to former boxer Ricky Hatton, whose passing added emotional weight to the derby. "Unbelievable" body language and the "spirit" of the squad were among the manager’s compliments, according to club sources.

Tactically the match underlined Guardiola’s willingness to adjust routine in pursuit of results. City normally avoid training at the stadium the day before a home match, a practice that traces back to the Manuel Pellegrini era, but the team were at the Etihad for final preparations on Saturday. The club bus also arrived and parked earlier than usual outside the Colin Bell Stand, and Guardiola spent extended hours in meetings at the training ground, causing him to arrive late to the regular pre-match press conference after a meeting ran on.

Gianluigi Donnarumma was present with the squad for the first full day since joining, as Guardiola continued to integrate new and returning players into his plans. On the field, Rodri’s deeper sitting role and Foden’s positioning in the No. 10 area were part of the overload strategy; the shape allowed Doku to drift into pockets of space and combine with Haaland on several occasions. City’s attack produced repeated chances and at times suggested the final scoreline could have been larger.

Despite the win, a number of defensive moments late in the match drew visible frustration from Guardiola, who at times watched defenders clear under pressure. The manager’s interventions and tactical micro-adjustments were framed by the broader imperative of halting a worrying run: City had looked vulnerable defensively in recent fixtures and could not afford a loss ahead of a trip to Arsenal later in the week.

United manager Rúben Amorim — who took four points off City in meetings last year — was outmaneuvered on the day as City controlled midfield and tempo. The result offered a timely boost for Guardiola’s side, shifting momentum after a period in which results had fallen below the club’s usual standards.

City players completed a lap of appreciation at the end of the match and Guardiola lingered to praise their intensity. The victory provided immediate relief and clear evidence that the manager’s unorthodox preparations and tactical emphasis on the centre of the pitch could restore cohesion and belief, even as the team continues to address remaining defensive flaws.