Our season’s turned into garbage, but we can still noisy be the neighbours

Pellegrini reminds resurgent United that wealthy City remain a major force

FOR the last few years the self-styled biggest club in the world, Manchester United, have not even appeared the biggest club on their home patch. The ‘noisy neighbours’ of Manchester City were able to spend more and win more. And the Sir Alex Ferguson factor vanished from Old Trafford when he retired in 2013.

In fact the last time United won a derby at home was in 2011 when Wayne Rooney’s late spectacular acrobatic goal earned them a 2-1 victory.

But there has been a sudden and surprising shift. United are now above City in the Premier League table for the first time since November 2013, and should Louis van Gaal’s red-hot United beat their suddenly fragile rivals at Old Trafford this afternoon, they will move four points clear of the defending champions. For many, then, the natural balance of power will have been restored.

Manchester City boss Manuel Pellegrini is no longer trying to hide the collapse of his side’s season, which has seen them slip to fourth in the table and exit early from three cup competitions, including the Champions League.

Having defended them earlier following defeats at Burnley and on Monday night against Crystal Palace, the Chilean has decided to be more candid ahead of the derby.

‘It has not been a good season, definitely not a good season,’ he says. ‘It was not so bad until the end of 2014, we were top of the table and still in the Champions League. But in the last three months, we have thrown it into the garbage, all that we did earlier.

‘We are doing some things very badly, that’s why we must improve.’

Admitting there is a problem is always the first step to recovery but Pellegrini, who has won his last three games against United, appears a little less sure about how to fix it.

His squad has been derided as ageing. Ten of their players are aged 29 or over and captain Vincent Kompany is 28 and experiencing his worst season at the club.

But Pellegrini will not go along with that theory. ‘I don’t think the best players at the end can suddenly grow old in three months,’ he says defensively.

Nonetheless, he clearly thinks City have to flex their financial muscles again to replenish the squad, just as they did in 2008 when the new Abu Dhabi owners broke the British transfer record within 24 hours of their arrival to sign Robinho. Since then, they have spent £500million net on transfer fees alone.

‘I will try to continue being noisy,’ said the Chilean, referring to Ferguson’s famous quote about City in 2010. ‘All the big teams spend a lot of money, always. People just talk about it when it’s City.’

The problem for Pellegrini is United are back in the game competing for the top players following a brief post-Fergie wobble.

New Old Trafford boss Ed Woodward is determined his club will not be bullied out of deals as they were when City beat them to the signature of Samir Nasri from Arsenal.

Van Gaal, his plumage on show after five consecutive Premier League victories, is equally bullish, declaring unequivocally: ‘I don’t have any doubt that players are coming to Manchester United.’

Negotiations for Borussia Dortmund pair Matts Hummels and Ilkay Gundogan are understood to already be under way but the acid test will be for Juventus and France star Paul Pogba, rated the best young midfield player in Europe and coveted by both United and City. Where the 22-year-old decides to go will be fascinating.

City say there are mitigating factors why they are currently a point behind United. David Silva, one of their two indisputably world-class players alongside Sergio Aguero, thinks United’s absence from the Champions League helped them.

‘It doesn’t surprise me United are doing well, they have had the advan- tage of only having the Premier League to play for, just as Liverpool did last season,’ says the Spaniard. ‘It will be a hard game for us at Old Trafford but it’s one we can definitely win.’

The future of Pellegrini will come under huge scrutiny if he loses. He has been given some comfort by Van Gaal however, who dismisses City’s last 2-1 defeat at Crystal Palace as a virtual fluke.

‘I saw the game, watching on TV at home with a cup of coffee. Crystal Palace went 2-0 ahead but you could not imagine it was a 2-0 game,’ said Van Gaal.

‘We have also played these kind of matches. The opponents crossed the halfway line three times and they scored two goals, but that’s football, and more so in England than in other countries.

‘City were unlucky and of course, confidence is a big thing in football. But Sunday is another game, a special game and it shall not influence a lot.’

Rooney’s overhead kick winner against City in 2011 was voted the best Premier League goal of alltime. The United captain still regards it as his favourite. ‘It was my best goal because of the importance of it. We won the game and soon after won the title,’ he said.

Should United win this afternoon, their supporters will dare to dream of such moments again.

But if City can upset the odds and prove they are still a major force to be reckoned with, the noise will reverberate around Europe, and to Pogba.