Jury’s still out on City’s title hopes after bloodless derby draw
CITY showed why they can, but may not, win the Premier League title in an uneventful draw with United.
As the final whistle blew inside a wintry Old Trafford, the jury remains out on whether either team can mount a challenge for Liverpool’s trophy after both cancelled each other out.
The rivalry has not coincided with a meaningful title race since Sir Alex Ferguson retired, with the Blues finishing higher for the last seven consecutive seasons.
Yet the gulf between the teams over a league campaign hasn’t always been evident in derbies, with City frustrated last season, while they would ultimately end up with 15 more points, they lost both league meetings with Solskjaer’s men and were humbled at Old Trafford in the final game played in front of a crowd.
Not only did they have to endure the raucous home crowd as Scott McTominay killed the game in injury time, but by that point Pep Guardiola had already literally been shushed by Bruno Fernandes.
If the ongoing disruption from Covid saw this game played behind closed doors - saving United from relentless chants from the away end about them playing on Thursday nights because they aren’t very good (or words to that effect) - City could at least get some form of payback on Fernandes and United on the pitch.
That ultimately depended on which version of United turned up though. They may be more Europa than Champions League but have shown under Solskjaer they are almost as capable of the spectacular as they are of the shambolic.
Guardiola opted for experience rather than youth in his team, with Fernandinho trusted to sit in alongside Rodri and Raheem Sterling included despite his relative struggles this season, while Phil Foden and Ferran Torres were named on the bench.
Fernandinho, back to his snarling best in recent matches, was late into challenges with Paul Pogba and Fernandes in the opening five minutes.
The Blues were pushed back in the opening stages though by a surprisingly aggressive home team, urged on vociferously by assistance coach Kieran McKenna. Kyle Walker was fortunate that McTominay did not get on the end of Victor Lindelof’s flicked header from a corner in the 11th minute as the rightback failed to pick up the run.
Further City sloppiness only encouraged their rivals. Rodri and Ederson both gave the ball away in their own third to present dangerous opportunities to suggest that the individual mistakes that have let Guardiola’s side down badly since the beginning of last season are still being made. Walker was relieved again at the beginning of the second half when he kicked Marcus Rashford in the box, only for the forward to be flagged for offside
by VAR. There were familiar failings up front as well. Gabriel Jesus wasted an excellent run by scooping a Riyad Mahrez chip over the bar before Mahrez didn’t do enough with a wonderful firsttime ball from De Bruyne.
However, there has definitely been improvement in the defence - and that is not only down to the radical effect Ruben Dias has had. It is now nine league games where City have conceded fewer goals with him in the team than the two games at the beginning of the season before they signed him.
Stones was fully composed alongside him in the heart of the box to ensure that Ederson had very little to do, while Joao Cancelo did an excellent job at left-back controlling his compatriot Bruno Fernandes. If City are still conceding chances that they shouldn’t, they don’t seem to be giving up as many good chances.
That is a solid platform on which to build a title-challenging team, and the players have spoken independently this week about the confidence that can be gained from keeping clean sheets. As former defender Joleon Lescott mentioned about John Stones, the less teams think they can get at you the less the end up trying to get at you. With the season as it is, a point away at United could be seen as one gained rather than two lost. The tally needed to win the league will be far lower this time round than the record-breaking bar set by City and Liverpool over the past three years and coming away with something from a big away game is an improvement on recent occasions.
How this game and team is ultimately judged will come down to how much better the attack can be. Goals have been hard to come by, perhaps surprising given their prolific record under Guardiola
yet less surprising given the troubles of Sergio Aguero.
While City are chasing a striker next summer, with Lionel Messi a possibility and Erling Haaland showing he may well be worth dealing with Mino Raiola over, Jesus and the rest have the responsibility for at least the next six months and they will have to improve if they are to have any hope of winning the title.
Torres was lively as soon as he was brought off the bench for the final 25 minutes, showing a willingness to run at Luke Shaw with his pace in a way reminiscent of Leroy Sane - the man he was signed to replace this summer.
The killer moment continued to elude the Blues though, forcing them to settle for a point that leaves them behind their neighbours after 11 games.
Such a performance plays into the idea that this team will not sweep the league before them as they did when they were monstering United here en route to back-to-back titles in 2018 and 2019. And if they will still likely remain the top team in Manchester come the end of the season, they will need more of a cutting edge if they are to reel in Liverpool.
With the season as it is, a point away at United could be seen as one gained rather than two lost