Chapter 519: The Complex Emotions of Guardiola Towards Bruno
Pep Guardiola's feelings towards Bruno Fernandes are quite complex and nuanced. The Manchester City coach first noticed Bruno during the 2014-2015 season.
In the UEFA Super Cup, Udinese faced Real Madrid, and Bruno's performance—three goals and one assist—was nearly single-handedly responsible for defeating the Galácticos. This match introduced Bruno to the world and caught Guardiola's attention.
In the subsequent Champions League group stage, Bruno scored 9 goals and provided 4 assists in 6 matches, helping Udinese advance as the group leader, once again outshining Real Madrid. Bruno's performances surprised Guardiola because he had recently seen his Bayern Munich team get thrashed by Real Madrid in the Champions League semi-finals.
That season, Bruno and his Udinese squad consistently attracted Guardiola's attention. In the round of 16, Udinese faced Schalke 04, a Bundesliga team. As a fellow Bundesliga coach, Guardiola paid close attention. Bruno scored three goals and provided two assists across the two legs, helping Udinese edge out Schalke 5-4 on aggregate.
Next, it was time for Guardiola's Bayern Munich to face Bruno. These matches allowed Guardiola to truly understand Bruno's capabilities. Despite successfully limiting Bruno to one penalty goal and no assists, Bayern Munich was still eliminated with a 4-3 aggregate score. Bruno's presence on the field demanded significant defensive attention, and his exceptional vision helped Udinese triumph.
Bruno then led Udinese past Guardiola's former team, Barcelona, to reach the final, where they defeated Juventus to win the Champions League. That year, Bruno's genius performances stunned the football world, breaking the long-standing dominance of Messi and Ronaldo by winning the FIFA Ballon d'Or and cementing his status as one of the top three players in the world.
Guardiola's Desire to Coach Bruno
From that moment, Guardiola longed to coach Bruno. However, not only did Bruno not join his team, but they became direct rivals. In the summer of 2016, Guardiola and Manchester City were close to signing Bruno, but Bruno chose to join Manchester United instead.
Last season, Bruno led Manchester United to two victories over City at Old Trafford in the league and the League Cup, creating painful memories for Guardiola. The most painful, however, was the second league meeting, where Bruno scored a hat-trick and assisted once, helping United thrash City 5-0 at the Etihad Stadium. This defeat was deemed a major humiliation, with the Manchester Evening News calling it "City's biggest shame in the past decade."
Despite the normality of winning and losing in football, such a humiliating defeat left City blaming Bruno for their disgrace.
Pre-Derby Tensions
Before the first Manchester derby of the new season, Guardiola displayed an unusually tough attitude during a media interview. When asked about last season's defeat, Guardiola shook his head and said, "I don't comment on past events. All I can say is that such a thing will not happen to my team again."
"There is no concept of revenge," Guardiola said. "It's just a normal match between City and United. Do you think the word 'revenge' is appropriate?"
Guardiola's words, perhaps intended to downplay any animosity between the two clubs, were seized upon by Mourinho. Mourinho twisted Guardiola's words and presented them to his players as a sign of disrespect.
"Guys, you've been disrespected," Mourinho said, slamming his hand on the table. "Our neighbors don't see us at all."
"Look at his tone," Mourinho mocked. "City and United have no hatred, as if an outdated team like ours doesn't deserve to be their rival?"
Waving a newspaper, Mourinho said, "We are being underestimated!"
The Guardian, a Manchester United-supporting publication, echoed Mourinho's sentiment, criticizing City for looking down on United.
"Who do they think they are to look down on us?" Mourinho riled up his players. "Who was beaten down by us last season at the Etihad?"
"City!" shouted Scott McTominay.
"And who are we currently above in the standings?"
"City!" the team chorused.
"Exactly!" Mourinho yelled. "Yet they still dare to look down on us? Who gave them this courage?"
"Let's crush them!" the entire United squad roared.
City's Camp
Meanwhile, at City's hotel, Guardiola's assistant Mikel Arteta was furious after reading The Guardian's critique of Guardiola, which painted him as an arrogant and disrespectful figure.
"Pep, they're twisting your words on purpose!" Arteta fumed.
Guardiola, trying to calm Arteta, waved it off with a smile. But deep down, Guardiola was irritated—not by the media's twist but by the memories of last season's humiliating defeats, especially the 5-0 thrashing. He vividly remembered The Guardian's brutal headline: "A Hundred Guardiolas Are Not Worth One Mourinho."
Every time he recalled that defeat and that headline, Guardiola felt a burning resentment. He was eager to defeat United and Mourinho in the upcoming derby, proving his superiority.
Mourinho and United were leading the Premier League with a record 16 consecutive wins, basking in glory. Guardiola wanted to show that United's record was only because they hadn't faced his City yet. United was strong, but City was stronger.
The Manchester Derby
On December 11, Old Trafford was packed to its 76,000 capacity. Since Mourinho had led United to reclaim the Premier League, FA Cup, EFL Cup, and Europa League last season, the Theatre of Dreams was almost always sold out, reminiscent of the glory days under Ferguson.
Before the match, Mourinho and Guardiola exchanged a terse handshake with little conversation. Mourinho had heavily rotated his squad in the midweek Champions League match against Atlético Madrid to conserve energy for the derby, fielding his strongest lineup.
Upfront were Rashford, Harry Kane, and Mbappé. Kane had been in great form since joining United, and Mbappé had found his shooting touch, much to Mourinho's delight. Despite Mourinho considering Mbappé's finishing to be average, his recent scoring run and confidence were crucial.
In midfield, Bruno, Kanté, and Gündoğan formed a formidable trio. The defense featured Van Dijk and Maguire as center-backs, with Luke Shaw on the left and Valencia on the right. The 32-year-old Ecuadorian had been impressive, keeping the expensive new signing Cancelo on the bench. De Gea, of course, started in goal.
City's Lineup
City's lineup included Ederson in goal, with the recently acquired Kyle Walker at right-back, and veterans Kompany and Otamendi in central defense, with Delph filling in at left-back. The midfield trio was Fernandinho, David Silva, and De Bruyne, while Sterling, Gabriel Jesus, and Sané formed the attacking trio.
Like United, City had also rotated heavily in their midweek Champions League match, which they lost 1-2 to Shakhtar Donetsk, ending their unbeaten run in the group stage. However, this loss was inconsequential as City had already secured their spot at the top of their group. Resting players for the derby made sense.
Interestingly, Guardiola left Agüero, who did not start in midweek, on the bench again, opting for Jesus upfront.
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