'I'm a Man Utd fan facing Pep Guardiola's genius - but Man City are vulnerable'

Leyton Orient manager Richie Wellens has an Old Trafford play summons but inactive believes Pep Guardiola is the astir influential caput manager successful the athletics up of peculiar FA Cup tie

Pep Guardiola has caused Manchester United superfan Richie Wellens much symptom than helium tin recall.

But the Leyton Orient manager, inactive a play summons holder astatine Old Trafford, could not assistance himself from asking for a representation with “pioneer” Pep astatine a caller LMA event.

And Wellens, who is looking to daze Man City successful Saturday’s Cup tie, says Guardiola’s interaction connected the crippled is truthful profound that managers up and down the onshore person tried to replicate his approach.

“Pep’s caused maine and my sons a batch of symptom successful the past but he’s the champion of the best, a genius,” Wellens said. “A batch of managers look up to him. I retrieve watching him playing arsenic a kid, he’s idiosyncratic I looked up to arsenic a subordinate and arsenic a manager he’s changed a batch of coaches’ thinking.

“I’ve already met him a mates of times but helium astir apt won’t retrieve it, he’s a spot much celebrated than me. I went to an LMA Q&A astatine the Etihad and got a representation with him. I’m not that benignant of idiosyncratic but he’s 1 I had a representation with. I don’t similar comparing eras but Pep is astatine the apical without question.”

Wellens has been straight influenced by Guardiola’s ploy to bring his afloat backs into midfield but admits it is captious to ne'er suffer show of whether the players disposable tin accommodate to those demands. “We’ve ne'er had centre backs arsenic bully arsenic John Stones to play arsenic a holding midfielder,” helium adds.

Orient’s analysts person been “in their element” and are showing the squad clips of City’s defeats to PSG, Arsenal and Liverpool to research “vulnerabilities” successful Guardiola’s injury-hit side.

“If you privation to property them, I deliberation that was champion practice,” Wellens adds. “But PSG, Liverpool players marque amended decisions than our players. That’s wherefore they are astatine that level. They’re quicker, stronger, sharper.

“But we’ve besides shown them clips of Salford (whom City defeated 8-0 successful the erstwhile round), wherever if you instrumentality touches successful the incorrect areas, don’t marque bully decisions successful the mediate of the transportation and are open, they tin get to your extremity precise rapidly and exposure you.

“It’s astir america putting connected a show, staying successful the crippled arsenic agelong arsenic possible. City are a superb squad but they person a fewer vulnerabilities astir them. Can we exposure them arsenic champion we can? It’s going to beryllium a hard game, we request to beryllium close connected it.”

But beyond the lucifer Wellens knows however large the juncture volition beryllium for a nine that faced fiscal ruin successful 2017 earlier being taken implicit by Dunkin’ Donuts main Nigel Travis.

“This nine astir went retired of concern six oregon 7 years ago, to beryllium wherever we are successful the league and hosting the champion squad the Premier League has ever seen is simply a immense testament to however acold it has come.”

Ange apology

Richie Wellens tried to telephone Spurs brag Ange Postecoglou to apologise straight for his “stupid comment” past play successful which helium said aft losing to Stockport: "I'm not going to marque excuses, I'm not Ange Postecoglou."

The O’s manager said: “I tried to telephone him connected the Saturday nighttime via idiosyncratic astatine Spurs but they had an important crippled connected Sunday.

“I’ve apologised, I deliberation that's the substance closed now. Tottenham ’s a superb shot club.”

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