Manchester City v Manchester United
Sunday 2nd November 2014, 1:30pm KO
Barclays Premier League
Live on Sky Sports
Referee: Michael Oliver
Did you know that United's original wealth came from selling rotten meat to Manchester School Children? Oh I know you did I just thought I would get that out of the way. Peasants
The Gaalatico's are coming...get your bricks at the ready. This Sunday is the Manchester-Trafford derby as the second United manager since Manuel Pellegrini took over as City manager arrives at the Etihad under more journalistic fawning than the Communist Party in Pravda. The media are all ready thirsty for blood as City have failed to win THREE games and already predicting that Pellegrini has one foot on the trap door. An away win on Sunday would take the click bait nature of modern journalism to such levels that they might as well post it under the title 'Jessica Alba nude' whilst we fans are apparently secretly pleased we've return to our typical City ways or 'Cityitis' as the hacks have termed it. Just tape them to the dressing room wall...team talk done.
At 88 miles per hour your going to see some serious....
Ah 2003, Football League Champions, Kevin Keegan's City before Robbie Fowler, Steve McManaman and Antione Sibierski got there and the money ran out. Its a Wet Tuesday night and we are the JJB Stadium in the third round of the league cup and the first chance of silverware is up for grabs in the Worthingtons Cup. Wigan, pending Champions of Division One, are the opponents and take a first half lead through Lee McCulloch prompting wild celebrations on the pitch by Wigan fans. In typical City fashion, they would lose 1-0 and worse, Sylvain Distin and Steve Howey would both leave the game through injuries ruling them out for Saturday's first Manchester Derby in two years. Night ends with both sets of supporters on the pitch at the final whistle....
Fast forward...Saturday, November 9th... lunch time kick off under police (not first) advice...a back three of Gerard Wiekens and Lucien Mettomo and disgraced Richard Dunne playing together for the first time...tannoy in the stadium broken allowing supporters to great the teams onto the field with a wall of noise...we're fired up...the visiting support know exactly what we think of them!
Early showboating from Anelka...City take the lead after 7 minutes when Anelka mugs Wio Ferdinand on the half way line...Maine Road erupts and I mean erupts...everyone shuffles back to their seats the surge of celebration has separated them from in time to see the Rags level.
Even game but after a shaky start Wiekens has Van Nistelrooy in one pocket and Mettomo has Solksjaer in the other...City take the lead when a Marc-Vivien Foe punt worthy of gracing the NFL is kept in by Gary Neville and legend in waiting Shaun Goater secures his place in City history with his 99th goal for City...Neville's team mates immediately prove how popular he was by passing to him immediately from the kick off...to a standing ovation from the kick off...captain of United subbed after an hour...It was 3-1 by then as the sublime Berkovic plays in Goater to chip Barthex to make it 3...It could have been more if Anelka could finish a one-on-one to save his lift but 30,000 mancunians flick the V's to the away at full time and punch the air...lost to Everton the next week. Breathless day.
Back to the Future
Its been an awful week for City, they like to remind us that that they can still drag us through the meat grinder on command ever so often. Too little, too late against West Ham, already two goals down against Big Sam's big outfit before the fight back began. Text from Barry Conlon's bald spot after the goal from Merlin simply said, "miracle needed!" Big Sam looking more smug than if he'd body swapped with Russell Brand for a night and shared a hotel bed with Megan Fox.
Wednesday...perfect chance to bounce back...Le Toon name the English stiffs...strong City line up...result? Two pints at half time for the first time since they served the two pinters against Arsenal in 2006 (A Joey Barton penalty for the winners). At least FFP was £8 to the good. City were dismal, didn't create much, didn't match the hard yards of Newcastle and the urgent call for the gents five minutes before half time turned into the two half time pints and leaving early for the first time in memory.
The only conclusion I can make is that went Silva went off they realised there was a bigger game Sunday and tanked the game to avoid injury! Well it didn't work as Yaya also suffered a derby eliminating injury. A terrible week and we don't even have Lucien Mettomo and Gerrard Wiekens to call on.
One wonders if Richard Edghill's return to the Etihad brought the gypsies curse with him...
Sunday...Where were going we don't need roads...
Oh yes, the rags...I saw 10 minutes of their game with Chelsea last Sunday, just enough to see them benefit from a soft booking and a stuffy goal before Dowd played such little of the appropriate stoppage time he should have been investigated for attending an Ed sheeran concert. Mike Oliver is the referee on Sunday I expect as much out of him as a jury of Graham Poll-Paul Durkin-Eamon Holnes if Aguero was on trial.
It's too early to panic, but City must decide if they want to be playing for trophies in May or getting an early summers holiday as we cannot afford to fall further behind Chelsea. We don't seem able to break out of first gear and inject some energy into the game. We need to find to inject some tempo and balance into the game. I fear there is too much complacency in the City team, a smaller squad creates fewer competitions for places and some players are going to play regardless of how they perform.
Personnel for Sunday? I want to say start Jovetic, but he's struggled to find the space so far this season, Navas must start, as must Aguero and Fernandinho. If Yaya doesn't make it, does Pellegrini try to combine Milner, Fernadinho and Fernando? I don't think Nasri was nearly fit enough to come on when he did on Wednesday night and I would be very reluctant to see him risked.
Prediction....hiding the stove door under my poncho
City will have twice as many players booked as the Rags.
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