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If there’s a Manchester derby to lose, it’s Saturday. If that sounds like something Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could say in defeat, then it is because of all the hundreds of games as a player and manager at Old Trafford, the absolute zenith came in the March derby.
A cacophony of whistles turned into jubilant cheers as Scott McTominay’s cuddly curling iron sent the ball into the empty Stretford End net in the 96th minute.
Pep Guardiola immediately shook hands with Solskjaer and Solskjaer looked through the blinding spotlights to locate his family. Anthony Martial and Bruno Fernandes hugged, McTominay kissed the insignia and the stewards prevented the attendees from spilling onto the pitch. United had scored their first national derby double in 10 years and Fernandes had literally silenced Guardiola.
“I haven’t seen Old Trafford like this many times,” Gary Neville yelled, presumably holding himself back from falling off the gantry. ‘Ole, Ole, Ole, Ole’ reverberated around a stadium and the wall in the old tunnel between the dugouts, the only surviving relic from before WWII, was in danger of collapsing amid the din.
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This weekend’s derby is sure to be the emptiest in living memory and United’s expulsion from the Champions League hardly intensifies its importance; if United lose, the worst case scenario is that they will be eight points away from the Premier League summit with one game less. Few are convinced that they are championship contenders.
City will overtake United with a win but, unless they prevail by a similar margin to 6-1 in 2011 or 5-1 at Maine Road in 1989, the expectation is that Solskjaer will be on the bench at Bramall Lane next Thursday. .
The loss would be more significant for United, as they have not lost four league games at home before Christmas since 1972. The fourth, against Stoke, represented Frank O’Farrell’s last game in charge at Old Trafford, one week. before the infamous 5-0. at Crystal Palace and Sir Matt Busby approaching Tommy Docherty to replace O’Farrell in the Selhurst Park boardroom.
Saturday is not the first time United have participated in a derby after the European elimination. City fans threw Turkish delight bars at them on Maine Road in 1993, four days after Bryan Robson was beaten up by a Robocop wannabe from Istanbul and Eric Cantona vowed to ‘kill that bitch.’
The first derby at what was then known as the City of Manchester Stadium in 2004 came after José Mourinho’s run on the touchline following Costinha’s decisive match for Porto at Old Trafford. Solskjaer, United’s last scorer on the Maine Road, came off the bench in a 4-1 goal started by Robbie Fowler and crowned by Shaun Wright-Phillips.
The only unforced change from Porto’s tie was Cristiano Ronaldo for Eric Djemba-Djemba (no, actually) and Ronaldo was so unfortunate that his trimmed curling iron hit the bar in one of his most mature performances in his first season in England.
In 1993, Alex Ferguson was so disappointed in Ryan Giggs in Turkey that he appointed him to the Maine Road bank. Giggs replaced Andrei Kanchelskis in the second half and, with his first touch, cleverly made a half volley to tie Eric Cantona.
Solskjaer elicited a resounding response from bench Paul Pogba in the middle of the week and, as edifying as his agent’s demeanor remains, the poorest players have escaped unreleased this season.
David de Gea and the Harry Maguire-Victor Lindelof axis can no longer be tolerated; the pair were pulled left to right and right to left like pinballs in a puzzle by RB Leipzig. Dean Henderson and Axel Tuanzebe, teammates from the FA Youth Cup six years ago, have uninterrupted careers behind.
Lindelof and Aaron Wan-Bissaka withdrew late in Leipzig, as if they were certain to start against City. Wan-Bissaka lacks a credible competitor on the right-back, but that doesn’t mean Solskjaer should persevere with a player who was flushed out on loan from City Angelino, tormented by United at Etihad last year.
Fred has to be called up for Nemanja Matic’s screeching and Edinson Cavani has played better defenders than John Stones. To overlook Pogba would be the principled choice and Fred, McTominay and Fernandes’ midfield troika is United’s best, although opening Pogba would not necessarily represent an act of desperation.
Especially with no one in Stretford End to cheer him on or make fun of him.
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