It is one of the most hotly-anticipated fixtures in the Premier League because it has defined the title race in recent years and has always been a game riddled with animosity, the Manchester Derby, doesn’t require any hype.
In saying that though, this Sunday’s game should be one of the most absorbing derbies in recent seasons.
Here are 4 reasons why:
The Defensive Woes
This season both defences have buckled when opposing teams have piled pressure on them. United have managed only 2 clean sheets in 9 after a bucket load of centre-back pairings have been tried and tested by Van Gaal. The ‘senior’ centre-backs haven’t roused confidence with most of them spending more time on the physio’s table than on the pitch and haveappeared jittery against mediocre opposition. Manchester City haven’t fared any better, they’ve notched up only 2 clean sheets as well. City’s £32million signing Mangala hasn’t adapted to Premier League life quickly, leaving them in the same dilemma as last year, who is the best partner forKompany in defence. With both teams having defensive woes, it could be goals galore and a matter of which team can outscore the other, almost FIFA-esque this Sunday.
Midfield Battle
Of late, it has been a foregone conclusion in midfield with City outrunning United’s midfield with powerhouses likeYaya Toure up against physically weaker and susceptible central midfielders like Cleverley and Fletcher. This year has a different feel with United’s new midfield recruits. Blind hasbeen an underrated addition, he is deceivingly strong and provides them with the much needed composure. Herrera is the engine whose passing range and unerring energy givesthem the potential to come up trumps in a midfield clash. Fellaini controlled the midfield against Chelsea; he almost single-handedly restrained Fabregas and Matic, no mean feat. Yaya Toure has been unusually tame this season, 1 goal in 7 games, no assists and 3 yellow cards. He hasn’t quite bossed a game in the same vein as last year. This Sunday’s midfield contest will be an intriguing one because it will be more evenly contested in the middle and the outcome of this battle is utterly unpredictable.
Tactical Encounter
The managers are going to be pivotal in influencing the contest both in the way they line-up their teams and the way they make substitutions during the game. Van Gaal has shown his tactical fluidity already switching from 3-5-2, a 4-4-2 diamond and a 4-2-3-1 come 4-3-3 against Chelsea. I feel VanGaal again will pack the midfield, play Fellaini again as he did an immaculate job against Chelsea and perhaps only play one striker. It will be interesting to see how changes the line up from the Chelsea game with Rooney, Valencia, Herrera and Evans all potentially fit again. Pellegrini has a fixation with a 4-4-2 with two wingers and two genuine strikers. However it always as if Silva is wasted wide left and it is a formation which can be undone on the counter, evident in West Ham’s victory against them on Saturday. The 4-2-3-1 formation worked brilliantly against Spurs and it is the formation which in my eyes best utilises the killer combination of Silva and aguero. Two of the more tactically astute managers in the league head-to-head will make for fascinating viewing.
World Class Hotshots
This season, it seems there is an even bigger A-List cast of players on show. With Manchester United signing Falcao and Di Maria in the summer, this game really is the Premier League equivalent of El Clasico. Ballon d’Or nominee Di Maria has blessed the league with his jet-heeled pace and outrageous skill scoring 3 goals and creating 4 assists already this season. On the opposition, Aguero has been on fire with a sensational goal-scoring return this season of 9 goals in 7 games. In addition to the Argentinian duo, other superstars such as Dzeko and Rooney are sure to add flair to an already widely-anticipated matchup. If all the star players fire it will be an electrifying end-to-end game but regardless of whether they will fire or not, them being up against each other will be a sight to behold.
By Hesham Bilal-Hafiz (@hesham786)
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