Pep Guardiola could briefly bask in the glowing praise of Manchester United’s new co-owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe as he prepares for Sunday’s Etihad derby; but the City manager’s perspective was more focused on the future and the possibility of emulating Barcelona in one particular area. .
In his first interview since taking over the footballing duties at United, Ratcliffe, 71, claimed the greatest performance he has ever seen was produced by Guardiola and City, not by the club he supported as a boy and bought a 27.7 per cent stake in. Read edged Madrid in last season’s Champions League.
It was a surprising admission from the lifelong United fan, who has witnessed so many great moments in his team’s history and left the City manager smiling.
“This [a compliment] – and I can say: ‘Thank you very much,'” Guardiola said.
“Sometimes the compliments of the personalities who make this country a country are much more than a title. Sir Jim Ratcliffe made these comments and it is a great honor for us all.
“After all, football can generate emotions and feelings in players, and it helps us a lot to do our job when our opponents accept this. Thank you very much. I say this on behalf of all of us.
“But I’m sure tomorrow they will try to give the United players the best performance they can to beat us.”
But as he focuses his sights beyond Sunday’s derby, Guardiola has also allowed himself to consider an area where City are quickly catching up to United and possibly even his former Barcelona side.
United’s youth production line is arguably the most consistent and productive in football history. When Erik ten Hag names an academy graduate in his matchday squad on Sunday, as he inevitably will, it will continue a United record that dates back to 1937.
In recent seasons, despite all the cash injections and major signings, City have caught up with their rivals in youth development; Norwegian Oscar Bobb, who joined Phil Foden and Rico Lewis in Guardiola’s first team this season, signed a contract with new transfers. A new five-year deal was signed this week.
This raises the possibility that City could one day match the great Barcelona team of the Guardiola era, which coincidentally won two Champions Leagues against United, with the majority of home-grown talent such as Xavi, Andres Iniesta and, of course, Lionel Messi.
“We would love that,” Guardiola said. “I remember we played two Champions League finals against United in Barcelona and seven of them were from the academy.
“What does this mean? Zero! We never made a profit because they were so good and we didn’t sell them. But that’s the dream. Players who love the club are born here.
“Sometimes this is not possible because the foreign players are too good. Erling Haaland is from Norway. We would love Erling to come from the academy, but you have to invest.
“Last year we sold a lot of young players that would make us sustainable but maybe they can play here, we never know. They want to start playing at that moment and every situation is different.”
City’s success in player development has not only nurtured existing squad members but also helped balance the books, which regularly see departures each summer. The £42.5m sale of Cole Palmer to Chelsea is the most notable recent example, but Southampton have signed six players from City’s academy in less than two years.
With the current strict interpretation of the Premier League’s Profit and Sustainability Rules, Guardiola admits there is more emphasis than ever on academy conveyor belts, both to develop first-team squads and generate revenue.
But the City manager sees a less tangible advantage in a successful academy.
“It’s more sustainable for the clubs and we’ve always had the feeling, I don’t know why, that academy players who grow up here have something special that always works – don’t ask me why – it always works,” he said.
“There are players here but look at what the players at Southampton have done, Cole at Chelsea and Tosin at Fulham.
“So they are always stable. The academy works really well, and the allies’ processes also work really well every day for many years. And every time it’s a little drop of something in your body, you understand the game, you understand a lot of things, the culture, whatever.
“When you run with young players it always works, don’t ask why but it always works. It happened here, it happened in the academy at Barcelona, it happened in Madrid, it even happened at Bayern Munich.
“In the clubs I’ve been to, there’s always something in the young players and now with this situation financial fair play, you’re right; it’s a way of being sustainable and it’s working.”
Erik ten Hag would no doubt agree with these sentiments, especially given the remarkable development of 18-year-old midfielder Kobbie Mainoo this season. Guardiola also admits that having local players in the dressing room could add a little something to derby day.
“I think they know the truth. They’ve been to the Etihad Stadium many times,” he said. “They see the environment, they smell what’s going on in the club and they adapt quicker.
“Foreign players come or come from other clubs and they need some time to adapt. It’s like a home here. They know the reaction of the fans, they feel comfortable, they know how to play and everything happens quickly.
“It happens, you’re right, and I’m sure United players, Liverpool players or Chelsea players have something. I think they think: ‘This is mine, this is mine, this is my home.’
“So you want to protect. Going from the academy to the first team gives them confidence. It’s easy.”