In between Ten Hag and Guardiola's relationship as 'Mini Pep' attempts to prove his rival wrong
When Manchester United's move for Erik ten Hag approached in April, Pep Guardiola didn't let club rivalries stop him from praising the Dutchman.
Indeed, with the then-Ajax manager on the verge of a new job and Mauricio Pochettino the only other remaining contender, Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola was confident in the qualities of the man who worked under him at Bayern Munich, even naming him as a potential successor at City one day. "Do you want to know if Erik ten Hag can come? Definitely, "He stated.
Fast forward five months, and Ten Hag enters the game at the Etihad Stadium having won four consecutive league games, assisting the Red Devils in their recovery from a slow start to the Premier League season. However, he will need to improve on his performances from last season, when United were nowhere near their rivals in defeats under Ole Gunnar Solskjaer and Ralf Rangnick.
Ten Hag's side will need to get the better of a man with whom he has a long history if they are to continue their recovery. The Dutchman was in charge of Bayern Munich's reserve team from 2013 to 2015, when Pep Guardiola was in charge of the senior team, and has previously been praised by the City manager.
Munich in its early days
Ten Hag's managerial career was still in its early stages when he took over Bayern Munich II. He moved to Bavaria after guiding Go Ahead Eagles to Eredivisie promotion, joining in the same summer that Guardiola was appointed manager of the reigning European champions.
'Mini-pep'
Steve McClaren shed more light on the two managers' relationship in Bavaria back in April, before Ten Hag took over at Old Trafford. McClaren previously worked with Ten Hag at FC Twente, where they won the Eredivisie in 2009. He has now rejoined Ten Hag's coaching staff at Old Trafford, where he previously worked under Alex Ferguson.
"Erik is very disciplined, and people must buy into that and have a work ethic like that." "McClaren explained to The Telegraph. "He's a master tactician.
Ten Hag and Guardiola's relationship appears to be based on mutual respect. In this context, it says a lot that the City boss holds Ten Hag in high regard, even after the Catalan made a mistake.
"Pep made a mistake only once in his career - in his first year at Manchester City, when he completely underestimated the power and speed of the Premier League," Ten Hag claimed.
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