Manchester City head coach Gareth Taylor says that this weekend’s derby could be the biggest yet as he prepares for his side to face Manchester United at The Etihad Stadium.
The Cityzens face The Red Devils on Saturday afternoon. More than 38,000 fans are expected to attend what could be viewed as the most important Manchester derby meeting of the season.
When speaking in the pre-match press conference, Manchester City boss Taylor said that his side are excited for the big occasion rather than feeling apprehensive about any derby pressure.
“I don’t see it as pressure, it’s great to be involved in these games,” Taylor said. “A derby at the Etihad, great support on TV. What more do you want?
“More pressure comes from our standards. We put ourselves under that pressure. Get the details right, we’ll be fine. Pressure side of it, we control what we can.”
Taylor went on to say that he wants his players to enjoy the occasion whilst commending the team for their performance in the 4-1 win at Brighton & Hove Albion last weekend.
He said “The players were phenomenal last week. We executed the game plan really well. What really pleased me was that there were high levels of trust in what we do. When we have that, we see really good things. I have to say, 90 percent of the season, we’ve been so, so good.
“There’s been maybe one half in 50 this season, against Spurs in the second half, where we weren’t quite ourselves for one reason or another. It can happen.
“It’s something to be admired from this group. Tomorrow is no different, we try to keep it normal in trying to play the game not the occasion, we understand the implications in terms of results. We have to enjoy this moment and really commend the players on how well we’ve done to be in this position.
“There’s a little bit of space now between second and third, and third and fourth. It’s important for us to try and remain in there as best we can.”
This weekend’s fixture offers Manchester City the opportunity to sell their women’s team further to a huge crowd. Taylor highlighted the steps that have already been taken to grow the fanbase.
“I think we have worked really hard on that this season; to create an identity in terms of how we do things, how we engage with our supporters and the football we try to play,” Taylor said. “Hopefully, they can see that we’re moving in the right direction and I’m sure the support is going to be there tomorrow and they’re going to be right behind us.”
With six games remaining, Taylor stressed the importance of continuing to pick up maximum points in order for Manchester City to keep their title bid on track.
He said “For us certainly, the games are important now.
“United this week, Liverpool next, West Ham after that, Bristol City away; those games are super-important as well, every game is now.
“Margin for error is really tight, a dropped point can be damaging. We don’t underestimate any game, I’d probably have to say it’s one of the biggest derbies.”
Manchester City’s Barclays Women’s Super League fixture against Manchester United kicks-off at 12.30pm on Saturday afternoon. Tickets remain on-sale and can be purchased by clicking here.