Manchester United v Manchester City
Saturday 10th September
Premier League
Live on Sky Sports
Referee: Mark Clattenberg
So here it is, the Manchester Derby. Weeks of hype, Pep v Mourinho, Claudio Bravo, Zlatan v Sergio, Sergio suspended, Pep v Zlatan, Clattenberg, Clattenberg, CLATTENBERG! The Pep v Mourinho rivalry surpassing previous heights of hysteria thanks to a British media bored by an international break in which Raheem Sterling player quite well.
The major talking point aside from Mourinho’s hatred of Pep, quickly extinguished by Pep, and Zlatan’s hatred of Pep, also extinguished by our esteemed manager, was Sergio Aguero’s retrospective ban for rendering Winston Reid speechless by grazing the side of his face with his elbow.
I remember the last time a Manchester City player was retrospectively banned, also just before an international break and also just before a derby game. That hot August day when City tore Arsenal a new one and Emmanuel Adebayor was adjudged to have stamped on Robin Van Persie’s face. That night regular programming was halted as Gary Lineker read out a statement from the victim accusing Adebayor of malicious intent. Save the fact that more than 46,000 supporters barely even noticed said incident, the referee was perfectly positioned and even Van Persie hadn’t made much of a fuss during the game. Of course, the FA swung their axe and in this sport, a charge is basically a conviction without the benefit of a defence.
I once appealed a red card and despite the submission of video evidence and a statement from the opponent who’d been fouled I was told that there was insufficient evidence to overturn the referee’s original decision. Ultimately for the County FA’s any disciplinary action is seen as a revenue opportunity so they’re never going to balk at the prospect of billing City (or any club) for an appeal’s hearing.
Personally, I’ve seen worse than the Aguero incident but what really gall’s me is the extensive catalogue of similar efforts by other players that don’t get the same trial, conviction and hanging by social media. I suppose it was inevitable with the derby looming. Secondly, the FA last week overturned a red card in WSL when Arsenal goalkeeper Emma Byrne chopped down Notts County’s Ellen White with a challenge so severe White broke her collar bone. It was almost as if Arsenal’s next two games were against City…
Obviously what this game needs is a strong character in the middle of the park to referee it.
Enter Mark Clattenberg!
To be fair the man described by City supporting Mirror journalist Aaron Flanagan to me on twitter this week was that ‘he’s the best in the world right now” is that he’s a man so vein he’s likely to upstage Ibrahimovic and make himself the centre of attention. The once suspended for financial issues, hair plug wearing, European Championship final tattoo wearing man in pink will be fully aware that he’ll get more publicity with a spat with Zlatan, Ibrahimovic or Rooney than he will taking on Pep. One thing is for sure; there’s a seat in the BT Studio bashing City’s Champions League exploits in his near future somewhere.
So without Sergio, what happens next? According to the Guardian’s Jamie Jackson we’re such a man team that barely three players would feature in the new United’s side (trademark 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017).
Initially I had had a feeling that the man who could have made himself an unlikely derby day hero would be Sami Nasri. Having dropped some weight, the player who was built to be a false 9 would have excelled under the man who invented the false 9 role. In my opinion I thought he was excellent in his cameo role against West Ham and it felt like a new signing but despite some late hesitance he was one of many of Pep’s deadline day cull.
One man who seemingly won’t be deployed as a secret weapon on derby day is Yaya Toure who, despite some careful public relations rehabilitation by Pep, managed to escape the final day cull of loan departures. Following Yaya’s omission from the Champions League squad, his agent Dimitri Seluk latest outburst suggested that he’ll be seeing the remainder of his contract out from the stands. For me, all the latest incident of TalkSport level faux outrage did was make me ask the question; “what’ve you been doing all summer?” You’d think with all the C list footballers heading to China on larger piles of cash than Yaya that Seluk would have been at the front of the queue. It’s a real shame for Yaya, as a bona fide City legend you think the club would have granted him a free transfer to help him secure one last final payday.
Oh the derby? Yes, well Pep has overcome every challenge put before him so far, the David Moyes spoilers, the tricky Champions League trip, Stoke away and a potential home upset. A trip to the swamp will be the hardest test yet but for the first time Pep will also have the test of getting his team selection just right. It’s likely that Claudio Bravo will start in goal and in defence he’s been boosted by the return to fitness of Otamendi and Sagna; Christ even Kompany is in training. We will learn if he sees Kolarov as the long term option at centre back.
In midfield were also boosted by the return of Ilker Gundogen, who for me was the most exciting signing of the summer. Whether he plays or not is a different matter as he’s had a long layoff and Fernandinho and Silva have been superb in the middle.
Up front there are suggestions that he’ll hand Leroy Sané his debut as the striker. No I don’t claim to be a Sané expert but he’s rapid and the prospect of a front four of Sané, Raheem, Nolito and De Bruyne pressing United all over Old Trafford has me buzzing.
Prediction
6-1?