Pep Guardiola shared his thoughts on what he expects from Bournemouth in Manchester City’s second league game of the campaign on Saturday.
Manchester City kicked off their Premier League defence in assured fashion with a 2-0 win against West Ham.
With three draws in their last three visits to the London Stadium, City overcame the hoodoo with a dominant display against the Hammers.
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As Erling Haaland dominated all the chat in the build-up to the clash, he did so after the contest as well - with a fine brace to steal the show on his Premier League debut.
The Norwegian’s searing pace and astute movement shone as he first ran in behind expertly to win the spot kick that he subsequently converted.
For the second, the 22-year-old got on the end of an inch-perfect Kevin De Bruyne through ball to put the tie to bed in clinical fashion.
While Manchester City were largely in cruise control against David Moyes’ side, they are expected to be given a tough test in their upcoming contest against Bournemouth.
The Cherries will be looking to pull off another upset after their 2-0 victory against Aston Villa on the opening day of the season.
With facing newly-promoted sides always being a tall task at the start of the season, the Premier League champions will not have it easy in their quest to clinch all three points.
Ahead of his side’s first home game of the campaign, Pep Guardiola gave his thoughts on facing Scott Parker’s Bournemouth this weekend.
“They make high press, squeeze really well, drop into five at the back, so narrow in the middle. Five at the back, close in the build up to drag you out, link with the strikers," Guardiola said.
City are set to miss Kalvin Phillips for the clash but Julian Alvarez, who came off the bench against West Ham, is also expected to register his first minutes at the Etihad Stadium.
Guardiola added: "After they (Bournemouth) have good runners on the opposite side, they have good set pieces. We try to impose our game and avoid them.”
With City’s last two meetings with Bournemouth ending in narrow 2-1 victories, another hard-fought contest may well be on display on Saturday afternoon.
Unlike Eddie Howe’s teams that were renowned for playing a free-flowing brand of football, Scott Parker is known to employ a much more pragmatic approach.
As a result, Pep Guardiola will remind his Manchester City side not to let complacency set in and drop unnecessary points.
Topics: Pep Guardiola, Manchester City, Bournemouth, Scott Parker, Premier League
Srinivas Sadhanand