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Manchester United would be flourishing under THIS manager - Danny Murphy
MANCHESTER UNITED would be a much better side if they were managed by Pep Guardiola, Danny Murphy believes.
Guardiola: Man City 'felt the pressure' against Man United
United lost 3-1 to Manchester City on Sunday evening, leaving them 12 points behind their local rivals after as many games.
The chasm between both clubs has never been so stark in City’s favour, as Guardiola continues to take them to new heights.
United, meanwhile, have became a frustrating team to watch under Mourinho, despite their recent resurgence prior to the Manchester derby.
The Red Devils shocked unbeaten Juventus last week, defeating the Serie A champions 2-1 in Turin, but could not replicate the discipline or fight shown in that performance at the Etihad Stadium.
Would Pep Guardiola have that United side doing better than they’re doing at the moment? I think yes
United had completed only five passes after 12 minutes - the time David Silva opened the scoring - against City, and Mourinho’s defensive tactics were once again used against him by pundits and disgruntled United fans.
Former Liverpool midfielder Murphy believes Mourinho is not getting the best out of a talented squad, and that Guardiola would show up his counterpart at Old Trafford.
“Would Pep Guardiola have that United side doing better than they’re doing at the moment? I think yes,” Murphy told talkSPORT.
“What you could argue is Mourinho and Guardiola have won very similar trophies along the way – Mourinho has done it at different clubs.
“So you could put an argument across that Mourinho has done more as a manager; he’s done it at Porto where winning the Champions League was nothing short of phenomenal.
“You can put an argument across all you want, but if you’re talking about Man United specifically, I think if Pep Guardiola had been in charge of Manchester United for as long as Mourinho had, they would be playing better football and winning more football matches.”
Guardiola has had the luxury of managing Barcelona, Bayern Munich and City - three clubs whose pockets aren’t shallow.
Murphy believes that has merely facilitated the Spaniard’s genius, however.
“I think he is a genius but, like anybody at the top of the tree, he’s had a bit of fortune along the way,” Murphy reasoned.
“He went in at the top and he still got them better and he made them better.
“The other player worth mentioning is David Silva; I’ve said before I think he is one of the best midfielders in the world.”