So, derby day is upon us once more.
This Sunday, City lock horns with United for the 170th time in a rivalry which has gotten fiercer as the years have progressed. City’s recent successes have made this one the real heavyweight fixture in the Premier League; not only because both sides stem from the same territory; but because they are both now competing for exactly the same silverware; much unlike derbies of old.
Ever since the first meeting of the sides way back in 1881 when West Gorton and Newton Heath locked horns; this contest has knocked up some absolute belters from a City perspective. Think a Vincent Kompany bullet header; a certain Mario Balotelli t-shirt; a Carlos Tevez cup strike; and a Yaya Toure FA Cup winner at Wembley to name just a few of the more recent instances of blue bragging rights.
City will be very much looking to set the record straight this Sunday having previously fallen to a heavy 4-2 defeat to The Reds in our last encounter at Old Trafford; a result many Blues’ fans will want to forget despite the result not changing the complexion of the final league standings too much.
Before that torrid afternoon last April, City had won the previous four derbies on the bounce, including the 4-1 rout at The Etihad; followed by the impressive 3-0 win on Old Trafford turf in the same title-winning season. We certainly let David Moyes know exactly who the only team in Manchester was.
But the beauty of this fixture (for the neutral) is that nobody knows exactly what it is going to throw up. This Sunday’s game is made even more huge by the fact that City sit top of the pile with United lurking just two points behind in third; meaning a win for the Reds (and Arsenal) would drop City down to third position. However, a win for City would elevate them five points clear of Louis Van Gaal’s men. The stakes are clearly very high ahead of this one; and it is certainly a game that neither team will want to lose.
But somebody has to- there hasn’t been a draw in a Manchester derby since September 2010.. The stats alone show that this game doesn’t disappoint if action is what you’re after.
The question from a City point-of-view then, is how they are going to go about their business this Sunday without two of their best players missing.
You would have to have been living under a rock these past few days to not know that Sergio Aguero and David Silva are both out of this weekend’s contest due to respective injuries. This is nothing short of sod’s law for City who, when these two are on form (which they are), can seriously hurt sides in the final third with Silva’s superb vision and Sergio’s clinical prowess. It will be interesting to see what Manuel Pellegrini does to get around these two huge voids left in the squad; and how he sets up against a United side seemingly full of confidence at the moment after last week’s rather impressive 3-0 win at Everton.
City still have a lot up their locker. Kevin De Bruyne has shown us already that he is worthy of the £50 million price tag hanging from his shoulders; expertly firing us to all three Champions League points in Wednesday’s 2-1 win over Sevilla. Despite not playing their best, City’s grinding out of this result against some tough Spanish opposition was refreshing to see; and with players like de Bruyne; we have a midfielder who could get us out of jail if things go pear shaped this Sunday.
Vincent Kompany is set to return to the heart of the defence to add some much needed stability to it in what has been a very frequently changed centre-back pairing in recent games. Hopefully the Belgian’s addition can return us to the early-season days of defensive expertise when we managed to go the first four Premier League games without conceding a single goal. Ever since that partnership has been broken, the goals have been leaking in; so it is reassuring to expect the big Belgian to be taking on defensive duties once again this weekend.
City actually go into this match as somewhat of the underdogs with the notable absences of Aguero and Silva playing a part in this judgement. But this allows them to play with slightly more freedom and have a fair share of the pressure lifted off them in what is always such a hotly-contested game.
If we can find a way to get round United with the far from full-strength team that we have, then it will set us up superbly for the run in for Christmas; a time when the Premier League table begins to take shape. We still have enough up our sleeve to hurt United, with players such as Fernandinho- arguably the best central midfielder in the league – and Raheem Sterling likely to cause United problems; it is just about how Pellegrini utilises his options in what is suddenly such an enormous game, despite the campaign still yet to really get going.
Let’s hope the 170th meeting is one in which blue is the victorious colour.
