Manchester City v Huddersfield Town: Back to business for Pep Guardiola after Abu Dhabi break

Richard Jolly previews the FA Cup fifth round replay between Manchester City and Huddersfield Town.

Pep Guardiola's Manchester City face Huddersfield Town in an FA Cup fifth round replay on Wednesday night. Phil Noble / Reuters

FA Cup fifth round replay: Manchester City v Huddersfield Town, Etihad Stadium, Wednesday 11.45pm (UAE)

There was a dusting of snow in England’s north-west on Tuesday. It served to underline that Manchester City have left Abu Dhabi behind, travelling several thousand miles and exchanging a sunny-weather break for a distinctly cold England. Yet in other respects, a warm glow remains.

For Pep Guardiola, a first meeting with his ultimate boss went well. The City manager tends to be in close contact with chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak but he had spent less time with Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Affairs, until the owner paid a visit to training.

“We met Sheikh Mansour for the first time,” Guardiola said. “I was really impressed that he knew absolutely everything about us. It was nice to meet him and spend a few hours together.”

If Guardiola was encouraged, he said his progress report from his employer was positive.

“He is so happy because he sees all the games and he sees the effort, he demands it,” the Catalan said. “He knows we make absolutely everything, we fight until the end and it was nice because it is important for us to know the president so that’s why it was good.”

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In his absence, the increasing impatience of owners was highlighted when the champions dismissed Claudio Ranieri. Guardiola sympathised with the sacked Italian, described Leicester City’s 3-1 win over Liverpool as part of Ranieri’s legacy and said his feats at the King Power Stadium will remembered in 50 years time. But he also underlined the importance of a collegiate attitude at a club.

“I had good relations with almost all my owners in Barcelona and Bayern Munich,” he said. “It is important to know them. We are together, both departments, the chairman and manager: we have the same target, so people can be proud of us.”

Ranieri’s departure emphasised that the problems can occur if those targets are not met. City spent years trying to lure Guardiola. He has pronounced himself happy at the club, but he argued: “We are here because of the results. If the results are not good, we are replaced. “

City’s recent results have been excellent. Five of their last six games have ended in victory. The exception was a 0-0 draw at Huddersfield Town, necessitating Wednesday night’s FA Cup replay. The prize for the winner is a quarter-final at Middlesbrough.

Unprompted, Guardiola suggested teams at the top of the Championship can be stronger than those struggling in the Premier League. Huddersfield, with six successive wins before Saturday’s draw at Barnsley, are the division’s form side.

“A team who impressed a lot when we played there,” Guardiola said. It was all the more impressive as David Wagner had made seven changes. The German, a clone of his friend Jurgen Klopp, will be banned from the touchline, a product of the melee that followed his exuberant celebrations after Town’s derby winner against Leeds, but his attitude can be infectious.

Other managers bemoan the added workloads replays bring. His response to last week’s 0-0 draw was to say: “We now have a rematch, makes me happy because I love to see my players playing matches. Another match is not a problem for us. For sure we are one of the fittest teams in the division.”

City face a physical test. They have a fitness boost themselves in the availability of a specialist left-back with Gael Clichy and Aleksandar Kolarov, who both missed last week’s 5-3 Uefa Champions League last 16 first leg win over Monaco, back in training, but Vincent Kompany is still out. He should return soon. By then, City ought to be in a 10th quarter-final of the Sheikh Mansour era.

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