Liverpool should worry as Man City saw Pep Guardiola at his mischievous best vs Manchester United

Pep Guardiola let his mask slip this week, and Manchester City could be stronger for it.

In previous big games, Guardiola has been at pains to stress each fixture is worth the same amount of points, and the only way to win the title is to take every game in isolation. If, or when, three points follow, there is little reflection on the previous 90 minutes and simply a message to focus on City's next game.

Every opponent is praised, taken as seriously as the next, and Guardiola has underlined his success by keeping his true feelings close to his chest. It's the same approach taken by Jurgen Klopp at Liverpool, with both managers in a press conference chess game of praising the other but insisting they can't affect the other and must only focus on themselves. This weekend, Guardiola took a different tactic.

Tunnel cam shows last-minute Man City change and more moments missed vs Man Utd

It started in his pre-match press conference, where he praised Manchester United as you would expect, and highlighted Cristiano Ronaldo's influence. It went against the general narrative that Ronaldo is struggling for form and that United are underperforming, but Guardiola talks up each opponent in a similar way, so this was hardly out of character.

What was notable, though, was his suggestion that City might defend deep and play on the counter attack against United such was his fear over their pace. It would have been a huge tactical departure for City, and as it turned out, it was a bare-faced lie. Looking back, it was the start of a mischievous week infront of the cameras for Guardiola.

Also in the press conference, he called Jack Grealish 'stupid' if the forward was getting frustrated over his performances, and told a reporter he was