Guardiola calls for caution against Watford as Manchester City boss salutes Ranieri

City
are
a
point
behind
leaders
Chelsea
after
14
games
following
the
2-1
defeat
of
Aston
Villa
on
Wednesday
(December
1),
while
Thomas
Tuchel’s
side
edged
past
the
champions’ next
opponents.

Ranieri’s
side
crushed
Manchester
United
4-1
at
home
in
late
November,
though,
and
Guardiola
insisted
his
side
must
be
cautious
against
the
strugglers
despite
winning
their
last
six
games
across
all
competitions.

“I
know
what
[Watford]
want
to
do,
and
what
they
do,
they
do
really
well,” Guardiola
told
reporters
at
Friday’s
pre-match
news
conference.

“Against
United
they
played
well,
against
Chelsea
they
did
a
really
good
game.
They
are
close
results.

“Against
Leicester
they
lost
but
had
more
chances.
Every
game
is
there.
We
have
to
be
careful
tomorrow
and
do
another
good
performance.”

Guardiola,
who
has
won
all
nine
meetings
with
Watford
across
all
competitions
by
an
aggregate
score
of
39-3,
also
hailed
his
opposite
number
Ranieri
for
his
work
in
football.

“Football
has
to
be
grateful
to
still
live
with
important
people
like
Claudio
Ranieri,”
he
added.
“What
he
has
done
in
his
career
is
amazing,
Leicester
is
the
benchmark.

“[He’s
worked]
in
Spain,
Italy,
France
–
I
admire
this
type
of
person.
What
they
have
done,
have
the
passion,
energy
to
go
there.

“When
they
lost
against
Liverpool,
the
press
conference
after…the
confidence
he
showed,
I
would
be
depressed.
The
first
game
to
lose
the
way
I
lose
and
go
there
[to
say],
‘Follow
me,
we
are
going
to
win’.

“I
admire
a
lot
still
they
have
this
passion,
this
energy.
It
will
be
a
pleasure
to
see
him
again,
I
know
the
results
against
him
always
aren’t
good.”

Rodri,
along
with
Bernardo
Silva
–
who
has
four
goals
in
his
last
seven
league
games,
as
many
as
his
previous
55
in
the
competition
–
has
been
a
standout
performer
for
City.

The
former
Barcelona
head
coach,
whose
side
have
won
more
Premier
League
away
games
(72)
than
any
other
side
since
his
first
season
in
charge,
noted
the
Spain
international’s
performances
as
he
again
credited
Silva.

Asked
about
Silva’s
recent
showings
after
he
claimed
the
Portugal
international
was
a
class
above,
Guardiola
said:
“Take
a
video
in
Anfield,
in
Stamford
Bridge,
in
the
last
game.
You
will
know
it.

“It’s
no
secret.
We
have
no
top
scorer
upfront
who
creates
something
out
of
nothing.
We
have
to
do
it
as
a
team,
it’s
good
everyone
is
involved
and
has
the
permission
to
score
goals.
I
never
said
in
my
career,
‘Don’t
score
a
goal.’ They
have
the
feeling
to
go
and
try.

“Rodri
is
23,
24.
Everything
is
a
process.
Last
season
he
played
good,
maybe
the
last
part
of
the
season
drop
a
little
bit
but
we
gave
him
more
minutes
last
season.
You
have
to
be
careful
this
season.

“The
fact
we
are
out
of
the
EFL
Cup
is
good
for
that.
He
is
playing
at
an
extraordinary
level,
the
consistency.

“He
has
to
be
[number]
seven
or
an
eight
[in
terms
of
position]
all
the
time,
he
cannot
be
three
or
four
because
it
destroys
the
team,
he
cannot
be
10
because
10
is
for
the
strikers.
He
is
playing
consistently,
defensively,
offensively.”