He knew what was coming, and offered a straight, firm bat back down the track for a dot ball.
But even in saying nothing, he picked a side when invited to comment on Erik Ten Hag's position at United.
Some 24 hours after Ten Hag came out fighting after a damaging defeat at the weekend and reports of his position not being as stable as he thought, Guardiola knows he is completely safe at City.
And he used that security to choose his words carefully about his opposite number.
Asked what he expected from United in the derby, he simply replied: "Always I expect the best from our opponents. Always. The best performance of them is what I expect" Pushed a little further on his opinion of criticism of Ten Hag's philosophy, Guardiola went defensive again.
"I understand your question but I don't talk about opponents," he explained.
Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 02, 2024-Ausgabe von Manchester Evening News.
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Diese Geschichte stammt aus der March 02, 2024-Ausgabe von Manchester Evening News.
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