Crunch derby presents Red issue for City
CITY have outclassed United over the last two seasons.
Jose Mourinho thought the gulf so great that he declared finishing 19 points behind the Blues in second place in the 2017/18 campaign as one of his best achievements in a trophy-laden career.
He didn’t get a full season to improve that – not helped by a schooling in the Manchester derby that saw Pep Guardiola’s side score a goal at the end of knocking 44 passes between themselves – and Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could not turn the tide as United finished a whopping 32 points behind, back in sixth.
City may be lower down the table than they are used to but they are still 11 points ahead of their nearest rivals after 15 games; the chances of Manchester turning red this season look remote.
Yet for all United’s struggles, they have outperformed the Premier League champions in one important aspect. The midweek win over Tottenham made it two wins and two draws from four games against the Big Six – the best six teams from the previous campaign – following victory over Chelsea and draws with Liverpool and Arsenal.
Guardiola’s team may beaten Chelsea last month but they dropped points in a draw with Tottenham and then lost at Anfield, meaning they have just four points from three games.
Winning the Big Six minileague obviously isn’t as important as the actual table but it is a significant indicator of the best team in the league.
City managed 24 from a possible 30 points two years ago and 25 last season including vital points against Liverpool that ultimately gave them successive titles. They cannot beat that tally this time after their poor start and the only way they can match it is to win their remaining seven games – starting with the derby tomorrow.
Eleven points behind Jurgen have
Klopp’s leaders already and not even their closest challengers, they are going to have to take as many direct points off their rivals as they can.
But if this particular fixture is never as straightforward as the league table suggests, United’s results against the big teams make it more problematic for City. While Mourinho may have been stretching it to claim they set up with a low block, Solskjaer’s side are uncomfortable and ineffective when given possession and are far better on the counter. There is no team in the league that adores possession more than the Blues, but this season they have found that opposition teams do not need much time or many efforts to punish them in defence.
City rose to the challenge of Turf Moor in midweek with one of their most complete performances of the season, and will have to best one of United’s biggest strengths if they are to keep their hopes of a third straight title alive.