All about Pep

He won’t be involved, but Sunday’s Manchester Derby (10:30 a.m., FuboTV) will be all about Pep Guardiola.

It was 10 years ago that the ex-Bayern Munich and Barcelona manager, hired that summer by Manchester City, oversaw his first local clash against Manchester United. Then, like now, the match came early — on Matchday Four. And then, like now, it was played on the enemy patch at Old Trafford.

United is hoping the comparisons end there, because City prevailed 2-1 back in September 2016 and Guardiola went on to win 16 derbies to the Red Devils’ nine. He also shifted the balance of power away from a club that was only three years removed from Sir Alex Ferguson’s retirement and still expecting a quick return to glory.

In Guardiola’s glittering decade in English football he guided the Sky Blues to six Premier League titles and, in 2023, the league, FA Cup and Champions League treble — a feat theretofore achieved only by United.

If City was glad to see the back of Ferguson, United is similarly thrilled at Guardiola’s exit. The entire Premier League, for that matter, has been quite relieved by the departure of the Spaniard, undoubtedly among the greatest managers in the history of the sport.

Without his genius, the thinking goes, Manchester City will begin an immediate decline that creates an opening for its rivals.

Well, maybe not so fast.

It’s early days, but City — now headed by Guardiola acolyte Enzo Maresca — remains in familiar territory, atop the standings with three wins out of three to start the season. It also won 2-0 away to Porto midweek in the Champions League.

Erling Haaland, fresh off his World Cup heroics, hasn’t missed a beat and has scored five goals in his last three outings. The club has also backed Maresca in the transfer market, committing nearly half-a-billion pounds to acquire the likes of Elliot Anderson, Ayyoub Bouaddi and Enzo Fernández.

So far — and again, it’s early — it’s all worked a treat, and City will be confident of taking three more points on Sunday.

But there’s another narrative, too, and in this one the pendulum already swung back to United in January, when incoming manager Michael Carrick beat City in his first Manchester Derby (his first match, period) and Guardiola in his final one.

There’s no doubt that Carrick’s side is a different proposition than that of most post-Ferguson managers who preceded him. And yet, it’s a group that has sputtered to start the current campaign, losing 2-0 at promoted Hull to kick off the season and requiring a late fight-back to sneak a 2-2 draw with Everton last weekend.

Then there’s United’s transfer activity, all of it purposed to strengthen the midfield while leaving obvious needs in the centre of defence and the full-back positions unaddressed, never mind the lack of depth at centre-forward.

It’s like the club acquired Andrey Santos to replace Casemiro before it realized Carlos Baleba was available; and, oh, Youri Tielemans is on the market, too.

United can point all it wants to City’s bloated spending practices (and, indeed, the level and source of funds is alleged to have broken more than 100 Premier League regulations), but it has spent similar money and got a far more modest return on investment.

Meanwhile, Marcus Rashford’s return has added yet another wrinkle to Carrick’s squad planning.

Having failed to secure a permanent move to Barcelona, where he spent last season on loan, the 28-year-old is back at the club he’s spent the better part of two years trying to leave. He’s lost his shirt number. And if Carrick picks his teams on merit there’s no way he’ll displace Matheus Cunha down the left-hand side.

It’s a scenario all parties will have wanted to avoid, but here they are.

Perhaps the manager can convince the attacker to take on the role of super-sub, or even play through the middle. Perhaps, for one match anyway, Rashford can play the hero – like he did in March of 2016.

Back then, he became the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Manchester Derby.

Incidentally, it was the last Derby that didn’t feature Guardiola. Him again.

But forget Rashford; forget Carrick, Haaland, Maresca and all the rest. Guardiola won’t be involved, but Sunday’s showdown will be all about him.

winnipegfreepress.com/jerradpeters