Guardiola Cautious of Unpredictable Manchester United Under Carrick

Guardiola's Insights on Upcoming Derby

Jan 16 (Reuters) - Manchester City manager Pep Guardiola said his focus was solely on his own team as he was unsure what to expect of Manchester United under new boss Michael Carrick in Saturday's Premier League derby.

Carrick's Impact as Interim Manager

Carrick will be in the dugout as United's interim manager for the first time in the derby at Old Trafford after being appointed until the end of the season in the wake of Ruben Amorim's sacking.

City's Injury Challenges

United, winless in their last four matches in all competitions, are seventh in the league, while City, who are second and six points adrift of leaders Arsenal, picked up a dominant 3-0 win when the two sides met in September.

Guardiola's Tenure and Expectations

But Guardiola was still cautious about facing their familiar foes under a new leader, with only Carrick's time as Middlesbrough manager and a previous stint as United's caretaker boss to go on.

"If you don't have more info of the opponent, you focus on yourself and the players," the Spaniard said on Friday.

"You can have some ideas of what Middlesbrough has done or when Michael was in his part as a manager at Man United, but tactics is about the players and the players tomorrow are different to the Middlesbrough ones.

"I don't have a timeout after 10 minutes to tell them what Michael wants to do. When you don't have info it's better to focus on yourself."

Since City appointed Guardiola in July 2016, United have had nine managers, including interim and caretaker appointees, with the local rivals standing in stark contrast in terms of on-field success.

"Results, results," said Guardiola, when asked about his longevity at the club.

"If you don't win, you are sacked. If we don't win, I would be sacked. We won a lot, that's why I am sitting here. There is no other secret."

Guardiola has added a haul of silverware to the City trophy cabinet including six Premier League titles, two FA Cups and a Champions League.

He endured a difficult spell last season, however, when City finished third, a long way adrift of champions Liverpool.

"Another club after last season I would not be here anymore. They are more patient maybe because what we did in the past as well. We had three months that were really poor. The past was really good so that is why I am still here," Guardiola said.

Chief among Guardiola's challenges is City's injury-ridden defence.

"Without John (Stones), Ruben (Dias), Josko (Gvardiol) we are in a difficult situation not for one game but a long period... Ruben will be back soon, Josko no, John hopefully, we'll see," Guardiola said.

Guardiola refused to comment on reports linking City with Crystal Palace's Marc Guehi, but Palace coach Oliver Glasner confirmed on Friday that the centre back was on the verge of leaving, without naming which club he was joining.

(Reporting by Chiranjit Ojha in BengaluruEditing by Toby Davis)