Manchester City returned to the top of the table with a hard earned point in a dull derby at Old Trafford. Manchester United’s Jesse Lingard and Chris Smalling went close in the dying moments of the 170th Manchester Derby but the game ended a stalemate.
Before the game, the big news was the return of City skipper Vincent Kompany. In spite of that, many City fans were unhappy that Nicolas Otamendi had been preferred to Frenchman Eliaquim Mangala to partner the Belgium in the Blues backline However, Otamendi put a man of the match performance in to impress Man City fans and proved that Pellegrini made the correct decision in starting at least one of City’s Argentinian blues. In other news, Fernando came in for Navas as City’s Chilean boss altered his usual attack-minded tactics.
The dullness of the deadlock derby was epitomised by the fact that there were just two shots on target throughout the whole game – equally shared by the two Manchester clubs. Amazingly, the first came just eight minutes before full-time, through an easily saved Jesus Navas shot from 30 yards out.
Kevin De Bruyne played his worst performance to date in a City shirt after his 91st minute winner on Wednesday night in the Champions League against Sevilla. While Raheem Sterling didn’t fare much better just over a week after his first career hat-trick against Bournemouth at the Etihad.
There had not been a goalless draw in a Manchester derby in all competitions for ten encounters in all competitions- 41 goals coming in the ten derbies since the last goalless draw. The last goalless derby draw came in November 2010 with the likes of Emmanuel Adebayor, Patrick Viera (now City’s EDS boss) and Jerome Boeteng in the blues squad on that cold, early winter Wednesday night.
Now time to take a look at Pellegrini’s questionable tactics…
The ex-Real Madrid manager has been criticised post-match for changing his usual attacking tactics to a more defensive mind-set by bringing defensive midfielder Fernando into the team in place of the attacking-minded Jesus Navas. It has even been suggested that Pellegrini set out for a point at Old Trafford, even though Manchester City have won three of their last four Premier League games against the Reds at Old Trafford.
I think that there is so much pressure on derbies now that managers are being more cautious in their tactics, as shown by the City boss. For me, it is vital that you don’t lose a derby, especially an away meeting. I am also under the impression that managers think along this line. A loss in a derby as big as the Manchester derby, now that both teams are challenging for the title which in previous decades can certainly not be said, can tarnish a team’s performances for many weeks afterwards. Out of the 170 Manchester derbies you could probably count on one hand the derbies which were played with both teams realistically challenging for the title.
For us, as fans, to criticise Pellegrini’s tactics today would be narrow-minded as they clearly worked. Although, it may not have been the prettiest footballing display from the table toppers, it ensured that his side didn’t lose.
Could Pellegrini’s tactics be due to a much more obvious reason than we’re looking at? With so many first teamers out through injury, for example: Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Samir Nasri, Fabian Delph and Gael Clichy, Pellegrini may have thought that it would have been a much safer option to go with the two sitting Brazilians in midfield. Despite City’s eleven still being full of star-studded names, with the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Yaya Toure, without the likes of key men Aguero and Silva, the teams looked a little more even on paper. What I am saying is, if Pellegrini would have had his full strength squad available to him, he would have gone to Old Trafford with a more attacking mind-set as he would have believed his team had a bigger chance of winning the game.
City now turn their attentions to Wednesday night’s Capital One Cup Fifth Round clash with Crystal Palace before they face Norwich in the Barclays Premier League just three days later – both taking place at the Etihad Stadium.
