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| photo by BobSingleton |
• by Hiten Mandalia, writing from West London
The upcoming Manchester derby on Sunday (23rd October, 2011) may prove to be the most important derby yet
Yes, there was the dramatic Owen winner in 2009, the two legged Carling Cup semi-final in 2010, the FA Cup semi – final in 2011 and the fantastic Community Shield game between the two in August 2011, but this Manchester derby will be different.
Different in the sense that Man City look stronger in terms of individuals whereas, Man united look stronger as a team. Man City have got star players all around their team, while Man united possess a few star players, but their team work, ethic and mentality is different to most other clubs. They will fight until the final whistle.
This won’t be a title decider this early on in the season, but the atmosphere and hostility will prove that the Manchester derby will be one of the greatest derbies in world football. Mario Balotelli said that this derby is already bigger than the Milan derby and has the potential to override ‘El Classico’. Some may disagree about that, but only time will tell whether this game will be bigger than Barcelona against Real Madrid.
Both clubs have such attacking flair that it’s scary when both teams attack, but both defences look a bit fragile. Man United have been shipping a few goals of late, while City’s defence can be shaky at times. With the game being held at Old Trafford, one will suggest that Man United have home advantage, which is a strong case, as they’ve won 24 out of their last 25 Premier League games, with their last home defeat coming against Chelsea in April 2010. However, it could be argued that Man City have come of age after winning the FA Cup last season and feel confident that they can go to Old Trafford, get a victory and stay top of the league.
The deciding factor is how Mancini will approach the game. In previous games when Man City have travelled to the likes of Old Trafford, Anfield, Stamford Bridge, Mancini has adopted a negative approach. This season, City are showing more of an attacking threat, even when the play away from home. This is their first real test of the season and it’ll be interesting to see how Mancini approaches it. Will he be defensive and negative, or will he allow City to play attacking football.
Chelsea showed a few weeks ago that if you go to Old Trafford and attack, you have a good chance of winning, as long as you take your chances. Chelsea may have lost the game, but it would have been a different case on another day. Norwich also demonstrated that attacking mindset when they visited Old Trafford a few weeks ago.
If Man City go and attack at Old Trafford, then they’ll have a good chance of winning. However, that is a dangerous game, especially at the home of the champions. Man United can play equally, if not better attacking football than the opposition when teams come to Old Trafford. If you play fire with fire at the home of the champions, than the outcome, most times than not, will leave the opposition devastated. Saying that, if Man City want to be regarded as one of the top clubs in Europe, let alone England, than its places like Old Trafford that they have to attack and get a result, because if the play negative away from home, they may tend to self destruct and all their plans will backfire.
No doubt about it though, the Manchester derby on Sunday will be the most important one yet, despite it not having any real significance on the title race, but it will give everyone a better understanding of how far Man City have come and if Man United can cope with the rise of the noisy neighbours.
Follow me on Twitter: @Hitz_MUFC
