Oxford v Man City: 'I've never seen a coach as intense' - the U's ready for Guardiola
- Published
Karl Robinson joined Oxford in March 2018 after leaving Charlton Athletic
Oxford United will look back to past successes and forward with optimism as manager Karl Robinson pits his wits against Pep Guardiola in the Carabao Cup for the second successive season on Wednesday.
Robinson hopes his exciting young side, who thrashed Premier League West Ham 4-0 in round three, will show the form that has taken them into League One play-off contention as they face Guardiola's Manchester City for a place in the semi-finals.
Oxford performed with great credit in last season's third-round tie, eventually losing 3-0 but staying firmly in the game until the last 10 minutes.
Robinson recalls Guardiola as the most intense manager he has ever come up against - but also acknowledges his humility.
"Pep intrigues me," he said. "You can learn from him. I really enjoy his style. I enjoy coaching his style and I enjoy watching it. I have to enjoy the football we're producing in order to enjoy our job and I am sure he is the same.
"What did surprise me was that I had never come up against a coach as intense as him. It was like: 'Wow.' I said to him: 'Come on, do me a favour - we've not touched the ball for 40 minutes and you're asking for a throw in. Can we at least have that?'"
'Some managers walk right past you. Pep was the opposite'
And yet Guardiola also left a lasting impression on Robinson and everyone else at Oxford United with his demeanour - in sharp contrast to an encounter with former Manchester United boss Louis van Gaal in the same competition.
"You remember the humility Pep carried after the game," said Robinson. "He had an ability to understand who we were and that was reflected in the things he said after. We crossed each other after our press conferences. I was with my daughter and he stopped and showed her a bit of time.
"Some managers walk right past you and you've just stood alongside them for 90 minutes. They don't have the decency to say 'good luck' from there. Pep was the opposite."
Pep Guardiola has managed Manchester City to EFL Cup triumphs in the last two seasons
One of Robinson's finest wins as a manager came in August 2014 when MK Dons thrashed Manchester United 4-0 in the second round of this competition - and it is fair to say Van Gaal did not leave the same impression as Guardiola.
"He was the worst," said Robinson. "I had a pint in my hand, waiting outside the press conference and he ignored me. It doesn't matter if you win or lose, and what you say in press conferences is for the protection of players and the club, but the second we walk out of these doors, we are normal men.
"Even after the final whistle, he made me wait 10 minutes. I gave up waiting for him.
"Pep Guardiola is at the pinnacle of the game, swept everybody aside and yet finds time for you. It shows you being a good person overrides any talent any of us possess."
Robinson's Oxford reconnection
Robinson's grounded, hard-working approach is reflected in his team. He is a personality who has perspective on football's place in the world.
He conducted his media briefing immediately after attending the funeral of Benik Afobe's two-year-old daughter Amora. Afobe scored two goals in that MK Dons win over Manchester United.
Robinson knows the importance of family, having left Charlton Athletic in March 2018 for personal reasons.
"I left because my daughter didn't see me six nights a week," he said. "Seeing your kids every day of your life is a gift. When this opportunity came along, it gave me the chance to be with the family."
He is now happily settled in Oxfordshire at a club trying to place itself at the heart of the community - and with a quarter-final against the Premier League champions to show how the team are developing.
League Cup winners in 1986, Oxford fell out of the Football League 20 years later, but have since climbed back to the third tier.
As Oxford stand just outside the League One play-off places, Robinson talks animatedly about a mission to re-connect a club to a city with a passion for football that might surprise many outsiders.
"I don't think anyone in Oxfordshire would have believed where we are now. It is a bit of a shock to everybody," said Robinson.
"Football is the centre of most people's communities, the gathering place on a Saturday.
"I think we've come away from that. The commercial product of the Premier League has disconnected. We have to re-engage though community programmes, visiting local hospitals.
"We want to make sure there are more yellow shirts walking around Oxford. Right now I'm seeing Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea, because that's what you see on the front, middle and back pages.
"When we beat West Ham 4-0, it was a bit cooler to walk into school the next morning saying you supported Oxford."
David Langan and Ray Houghton hold aloft the League Cup after Oxford's 3-0 win over QPR at Wembley in 1986
On Wednesday, the Kassam Stadium will pay tribute to former manager Jim Smith, who passed away earlier in December and is described by Robinson as "the most iconic figure in Oxford United's history".
Smith won back-to-back promotions to take Oxford into the top flight in 1985, but then left before and left before the club won their only major trophy - in a final against Smith's QPR.
"People forget what this club achieved in the mid-80s, playing in the top flight and winning a major trophy at Wembley," said Robinson.
"It had disconnected over the past 30 years. We're doing our best to engage with the people of Oxfordshire. These type of games give you the opportunity to show the people what you mean."
So can Oxford United spring the huge surprise?
"If anybody walks into that stadium thinking we haven't got a chance, they're wrong," Robinson said. "Mind you, if anybody thinks that chance is more than 1%, they're wrong too."