Saturday, April 17th. 12.45PM Kickoff, City of Manchester Stadium
In the footballing world- and certainly in Manchester- the derby between City and United needs no introduction or added emphasis. One of the most significant and passionate fixtures in the English football calendar, it has, over the years, showcased some truly memorable moments. Crucially, too, form is rarely a factor- the struggling, ever unpredictable City sides of the early 2000’s so often secured the bragging rights against what was then a supposedly unstoppable United. There was Shaun Goater’s emotional double in Maine Road’s final derby to give the then newly promoted Blues a 3-1 win. What about Shaun Wright Phillips’ thunderbolt to christen the City of Manchester Stadium? 4-1 that day to a side who narrowly avoided relegation. Even the seemingly hopeless Stuart Pearce and his bargain basement Blues coasted to victory over United in 2006. Trevor Sinclair and Darius Vassell among the, er, illustrious names to find the back of the net.
Perhaps then, for City fans, a rich vein of form which has seen 14 goals struck against Wigan, Burnley and Birmingham respectively, is ominous? Could United’s lacklustre recent displays against Chelsea, Bayern Munich and Blackburn give the red side of the city a confidence lift heading towards Saturday’s crunch clash? It sounds absurd, but if recent history is any indicator- predict the unpredictable on derby day.
So, if the meeting of these two clubs is ordinarily a huge occasion, how on earth can the significance of this Saturday’s clash be put into words? For the first time in many, many years, the two sides meet with each still in pursuit of glory. City will enter the weekend in 4th place, looking to secure that illustrious seat among the elite in the Champions League next season. Second placed United, meanwhile, simply must not slip up again with four games to play- league leaders Chelsea have capitalised on their recent shortcomings and look set to wrestle the league title back to west London. For Alex Ferguson, the thoughts of effectively losing the title race to, in his opinion, a ‘small club with a small mentality’ such as City must be petrifying. Sickening. Unthinkable.
Much of the spotlight will inevitably lie with a certain Carlos Tevez. The Argentinean ace spectacularly rejected United’s contract offer following the end of his loan spell there, opting instead to jump aboard ‘project City’. With 28 goals to his name so far this season, any suggestions, tinged with a touch of bitterness perhaps, from United supporters that the striker is in fact a ‘headless chicken’ or ‘poor finisher’ have been quashed. So, now the battle is on between Tevez and United’s English equivalent, Wayne Rooney, for the Premier League’s Golden Boot award, and with Rooney currently recovering from an injury sustained in Munich, Tevez might just sense an opportunity to steal in and claim the coveted prize. He will certainly line up for the Blues- 3 of his 28 this season have already come against United- but the big question is whether Mr. Ferguson opts to risk his own star man. It’s highly unlikely that if Rooney does feature, he’ll perform at his stunning best, given the injury was picked up only two weeks ago.
Meanwhile, perhaps City’s biggest area of concern this season has been at right and left back. Neither Pablo Zabaleta nor Micah Richards have excelled on the right, and Nedum Onuoha, who shined so brightly against Birmingham last Sunday, has again struggled with injuries, preventing him from staking a genuine claim. On the other side, injuries to first choice left-back Wayne Bridge have left manager Roberto Mancini to choose between Spaniard Javier Garrido and veteran Brazilian Sylvinho- both are honest and talented players but their downfall is a shared one- pace. Or lack thereof. Unfortunately for City, United’s wingers have been the only bright sparks in a poor run of form recently. Both Antonio Valencia and Nani possess electric pace and dribbling ability, which could well trouble City as it has done on several occasions this season. If, as expected, Bridge is passed fit, he’ll have to perform excellently to shut out Valencia, ensuring that he doesn’t wander forward and leave the left hand side exposed to counter-attacks. On the opposite side, Onuoha will presumably be allowed to continue following his recent performances, and he perhaps has the easier job of the two full-backs. Whilst dangerous, Nani is also, like his compatriot and predecessor at United, Cristiano Ronaldo, something of a show pony, often opting to attempt the impossible. With composure and concentration, Onuoha can outmuscle and outwit the Portugese winger.
In central midfield, City may well have the upper hand. Whilst unimpressive at times this season, Gareth Barry has recently found his best form and has the experience to deal with an occasion such as this. His colleague, Nigel de Jong, has been simply outstanding in the ‘big games’ so far and will be under instructions to make life difficult and uncomfortable for United’s attacking players. The Reds have a number of options in the middle, none of them particularly special though. Despite his energy and resilience, Darren Fletcher lacks a creative spark so lacking in recent weeks for United, Michael Carrick has disappointed hugely, offering little or nothing in the engine room of the team, and Paul Scholes is, at 35, very much on his last legs and evidently beginning to struggle against the top sides. Brazilian Anderson remains unavailable through injury.
City’s attack is undoubtedly the strongpoint of the team. Even the aforementioned Tevez aside, Emmanuel Adebayor, Craig Bellamy and Adam Johnson have been in scintillating form recently. Bellamy will face either Gary Neville or Rafael and the tenacious Welshman will relish a battle with either of them. His lightening pace and endless endeavour have not only endeared him to the City faithful, but left opposition defenders everywhere nauseous at the prospect of facing him. Adebayor, meanwhile, faces, alongside Tevez, Nemanja Vidic and either Rio Ferdinand or Johnny Evans depending on the extent of a groin injury Ferdinand picked up last weekend. The Togolese forward has returned from both tragedy and suspension to help fire the Blues into 4th spot with dazzling displays against both Burnley and Birmingham. Neither of United’s centre halves will enjoy facing Adebayor, who has just about everything- pace, strength, aerial ability, composure and lethal finishing prowess- in his armoury. New recruit Adam Johnson, though, who has impressed all and sundry with his efforts since joining from Middlesbrough in January, will face arguably the toughest test against Patrice Evra- the Frenchman is exceptionally quick and strong, and rarely loses out in battle with opposition wingers. He is without a doubt United’s best defender at present, offering just as much going forward as defensively, however given Johnson’s obvious appetite for success, he certainly won’t enter the field thinking he can’t overcome Evra.
In Rooney’s absence, Vincent Kompany and Kolo Touré will have to contend with either Dimitar Berbatov or Federico Macheda, or perhaps both. Whilst Kompany, signed before the Abu Dhabi revolution, has impressed consistently and will feel confident in dealing with any of United’s forwards, his more experienced and significantly more expensive partner will need to start showing City fans his worth. Lapses in concentration seem to be a regular feature in Touré’s play, and however unconvincing Berbatov may have been for United since joining, the Bulgarian is well capable of punishing such lapses.
Well then. It’s Mancini vs. Ferguson. 4th vs. 2nd. City vs. United. The winner not only secures the bragging rights for the Summer, but a fighting chance of reaching their target. With Chelsea, in 1st, facing Spurs, in 5th, later on Saturday evening, it could well prove to be a hugely significant weekend in the race for Premier League honours. But forget the statistics, the analysis, the meanings, the commentaries and the speculation. In fact- just forget you ever read this piece. Simply sit back, relax and enjoy some of the best footballers in the world battle it out on that immaculate Eastlands pitch this Saturday lunchtime. Expect goals. Expect passion. Expect excitement. And most of all- expect the unexpected.
Many thanks to Colin The King of ManCityFans.Net for writing this preview.