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It was after a 4-3 win for Manchester United over a newly owned Manchester City by Abu Dhabi in 2009 that Sir Alex Ferguson coined the phrase “noisy neighbors.” Since then, it’s six trophies for United and 11 for City, excluding Community Shields.
That banner at Old Trafford that counts the years since the last City trophy in 1976 was knocked down long ago. The city is no longer just ‘noisy neighbors’. They are chanting through the roof about their success, with Pep Guardiola aiming for a third Premier League title in four seasons.
But this Manchester derby represents a great opportunity for United to counterattack. This has to be a launch pad. A victory would consolidate his position in the title race.
One habit Ole Gunnar Solskjaer’s United must shake is how they have fallen behind in seven of their last nine games. They are constantly trying to catch up. The tactics did not help against RB Leipzig. Solskjaer changed his system to a back three after 10 consecutive games with a back four. He invited Leipzig to join them.
United beat City twice in 2020 with three defenders. But they were so poor in the first exchanges against Leipzig that Solskjaer may think twice about wearing it again. United finished the game in Germany at top speed after returning to the last four. If their slow starts are due to a mindset or a motivation issue, United players can’t have that excuse on Saturday.
Not in a Manchester derby. They must seek to pose a threat from minute one, not wait passively for the opposition to score before motivating themselves to win. The strength of this group is its strike force.
They have fast forwards fed by Bruno Fernandes. City will control the ball, so United will remain compact for the big parts. But when they win possession, they can punish City against it.
No club has scored more breakaway goals than United this season. If those counters come to nothing, your players will have to quickly return to their defensive positions. The victory would leave Solskjaer’s United just two points behind Tottenham.
It is their inconsistency from medium to medium and from minute to minute that has caused so much trouble. United needs leadership. Solskjaer needs to show that he has a clear vision, a system and an XI that he trusts. Then those players must stand up and be counted. The successful United teams of the past had iconic leaders. It is time for a new group to emerge.
Fit-Again Agüero can bring City back to its best level
This season, City is averaging 42 passes before every shot on goal and that’s extremely high. When they were in their prime, City moved the ball with such impressive speed that it sent opponents spinning.
It seems that there has been less speed in his passing in recent times, and his ratio of goals per game is very low. But I hope City accelerates things soon enough and starts scoring freely.
Pep Guardiola has been missing his predatory striker Sergio Agüero, City’s great historic player and author of 180 goals in 265 Premier League games. Gabriel Jesús tried to replace Agüero but has five games without a goal.
Ferran Torres, despite being a broader player, completed very well at times and showed a natural movement. But Aguero is Guardiola’s shot that turns half chances into goals, as demonstrated against Marseille in the middle of the week when he pounced on a fumble in the six-yard box.
Without Agüero at the end of last season, City lost in the FA Cup semi-finals to Arsenal and in the Champions League quarter-finals to Lyon. The Argentine tried to return in October but collapsed again. His return to the City lineup would be very bad news for United.
The smile could be seen on Agüero’s face as he warmed up to face Marseille and after scoring, suggesting a renewed appetite. Having him in shape is huge for Guardiola, who struck almost perfectly in his second and third seasons in England at 4-3-3.
After a slow start to this season, it looks like City are getting back on track, with their boss now favoring a 4-2-1-3 setup. While Fernandinho used to be Guardiola’s only midfield, he now uses two on Ilkay Gundogan and Rodri. As a result, Kevin De Bruyne is playing higher on the field, operating anywhere down the line behind the three forwards. De Bruyne is the driving force that is capable of everything.
Your right foot is like an artist’s brush. His vision is as if he’s high above the field looking down at his options, with Riyad Mahrez on the right and Raheem Sterling on the left. There is a wide variety of talents in that final third, not to mention Gundogan’s creativity at its deepest.
Possibilities have been created but not buried. That’s where Agüero comes in. Looking back at their game against Tottenham last month, for example, City had 15 shots inside the box against one of the Spurs, but lost 2-0. By the way, that was the last time Aymeric Laporte started in the Premier League. John Stones was hired alongside Ruben Dias and the England defender has been exemplary in his performances ever since.
Laporte started against Marseille, so Guardiola has to make a decision on who is his favorite central pair. Whoever starts will know how devastating United can be at the counter.
Solskjaer’s team will continue to feel the pain of their exit from the Champions League. When a club of that size is eliminated from such a big competition, it hurts. This City game represents a lifeline for United’s season and the future of its players and managers.
Source: m.allfootballapp.com
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