To avoid a derby day slip, Manchester City should be wary of a resurrected Manchester United.
Manchester City’s first game following the international break couldn’t be more important; Manchester United will visit the Etihad Stadium for the first Manchester derby of the season.
Any true City fan does not look forward to Derby Day. As the weekend approaches, doubts creep in, with memories of past defeats and United’s former dominance permeating minds and making for a tense week.
However, for some Blues, the upcoming clash between the two Manchester giants isn’t as tense as it usually is. City’s two defeats of United last season helped to boost typically pessimistic City fans’ confidence, not because they won, but because of how they won.
Pep Guardiola’s team could not have imagined the matches at Old Trafford and the Etihad being so easy if they had tried, such was City’s dominance over their rivals.
City’s 2-0 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on November 6th sent shockwaves through the Premier League as City produced their first completely dominant performance of the season. Guardiola’s team had 67% possession, 16 shots to United’s five, and twice as many passes completed.
However, City fans’ confidence might be misplaced if they think Sunday’s meeting will prove to be as one-sided or easy. After a disastrous start to the season, United has made quiet progress under Erik ten Hag.
While the Dutchman has had to somewhat abandon the style he would like his side to eventually play, his pragmatism has seen United win their last four league games, two of which came against Liverpool and league-leaders Arsenal.
Brazilian winger Antony – who followed Ten Hag from Ajax but not until late in the transfer window – looks unaffected by not having a pre-season with his new team. He will be sure to keep Joao Cancelo busy. On the other flank, Kyle Walker will be tasked with taking care of a back-on-track Jadon Sancho, who may well use his omission from the latest England squad as extra motivation.
City scored six goals over two games against United last season, and with Erling Haaland in their squad will be confident of scoring more. But since Harry Maguire dropped down to the bench United has looked more solid at the back, Raphael Varane and Lisandro Martinez forming a decent partnership.
However, a recent development could foreshadow how United’s defense looks to cope with City. On Sunday the Netherlands defeated Belgium 1-0 in the UEFA Nations League, with Dutch – and former United – boss Louis van Gaal deploying United left-back Tyrell Malacia at left center-back.
“I put him on the left of the central defense because (Kevin) De Bruyne played a lot on that side,” Van Gaal later explained.
“It’s better to have a Pitbull like that instead of someone like (Daley) Blind, who tries to solve it tactically.”
Malacia enjoyed a fine evening and helped to keep the City star quiet, providing a blueprint of how United could look to stop the Belgian midfielder.
One thing is clear: United are not the same team they were last season or even at the beginning of this term, and Guardiola will know that. City fans should be confident their players will get the job done, but it’s unlikely to be another walk in the park.
