Manchester Derby: 3 Key Battles in United vs. City Clash
Last year’s drab 0-0 draw between Manchester United and Manchester City at Old Trafford seems a world away. Both clubs have been completely re-energised by inspired managerial appointments and go into the first derby of the season on Saturday with nine points from a possible nine.
The focus and attention on this fixture has never been so extreme. Jose Mourinho and Pep Guardiola renewing their rivalry has given the occasion added spice, and Manchester is now at the centre of the football world.
This game arrives too early to have too much bearing on the Premier League title race, which both of these sides are expected to contest—but there is a significant psychological advantage to be gained for the winner. Neither side will want to relinquish their 100 per cent start to the new season, and the two managers—both obsessive in their search for success—will be desperate to come out on top.
United, perhaps, are under more pressure given they are at home, but the stakes are high for both sides.
A number of key battles will determine the outcome. Here we take a look at the areas where the game could be won or lost.
Zlatan Ibrahimovic vs. John Stones
United have lacked many things over the past three years—the most barren period in the club’s recent history—but belief and arrogance were perhaps the most obvious.
Under Sir Alex Ferguson, United oozed confidence. Sides visiting Old Trafford were often beaten before they left the tunnel. The fans, the players, the management staff—everyone connected to the club exuded self-assurance after years of habitual success.
That rapidly receded in the three years after Ferguson, and United desperately needed to rediscover their assuredness. No signing in world football ticks that box as affirmatively as Zlatan Ibrahimovic.
He may be 34, but the Swede is a wonderful professional who remains in fantastic shape. He’s scored four goals already in his short United career—but more importantly he’s brought belief to the training ground. He’s leading the line with aplomb and leading by example on and off the field.
Few players in world football can match Ibrahimovic’s cockiness, which is exactly what United needed.
He brings physical presence and goals. Aerially he‘s superb, but he’s even better with his feet. Keeping him quiet is going to be absolutely key.
To add to the danger, Ibrahimovic is one of the few players to have worked under Guardiola who dislikes the Catalan. The City manager took the forward to Barcelona, but the pair failed to get on and their relationship deteriorated badly.
“As a coach he was fantastic. As a person I’ve no comments about that, that’s something else,” Ibrahimovic told CNN last November (h/t Daniel Taylor of the Guardian). “He’s not a man, there’s nothing more to say.”
"Ibra on Pep: "How he works today I don’t know and I couldn’t care less because he is not my coach." #mufc #mcfc
— James Ducker (@TelegraphDucker) September 8, 2016"
"Ibra on Jose: "He is not a coach that tells you behind your back. He will tell you, 'If you're not good enough, you're not good enough'"
— James Ducker (@TelegraphDucker) September 8, 2016"
John Stones could hardly be more different in his view. “For me, Pep Guardiola is the best manager in the world,” he said after the win over West Ham United recently. “I’m over the moon to be here and learning from him.
“He is an ultimate professional, very detailed. He wants us to be on the same page going into every game. He gets a lot of points across to us.”
The 22-year-old has quickly become Guardiola’s main man at the back. Brought in from Everton for £47.5 million, City’s biggest summer signing, he has settled instantly.
He isn’t just a player Guardiola wanted, he’s a personal project for the City manager. The former Bayern Munich boss values his ability to bring the ball out of the back and start attacks, a key element of the way he wants his City side to play.
There are still some concerns about his defensive ability. As good as Stones is on the ball—and there are few better, particularly at his age—there remain lapses in concentration that can be costly. In a game of this magnitude, against a striker as dangerous as Ibrahimovic, he will need to be at his best throughout.
“The big match-up for me is Zlatan against Stones—what is going to happen there and who comes out the best,” former City striker Niall Quinn told TalkSport. “That could go a long way to deciding the people who are feeling the happiest—Manchester City or Manchester United.”
United have a huge height advantage, which they will look to exploit, and Ibrahimovic will be vital in that endeavour.
Paul Pogba vs. Fernandinho
In terms of consistency, there are few players, if any, in the City squad who can match Fernandinho over the past three seasons. He’s been superb, a player capable of adding quality going forward and solidity in the defensive third.
He’s continued his fine form this season under Guardiola, playing a disciplined role just in front of the back four and acting as an auxiliary centre-back when City go forward. His contribution to the team should not be underestimated.
If he remains in that role this weekend, and with Ilkay Gundogan now fit and ready for action he may be asked to slot in elsewhere, he will come up against a formidable opponent. Paul Pogba, the most expensive footballer in the history of the game, is a world-class midfielder capable of becoming an era-defining talent if he continues to improve as he has over the past three seasons.
There’s little he can’t do. At his best, he dominates games with his running power and determination to win. In games where his influence isn’t so pronounced, he’s capable of producing a moment of individual brilliance that unlocks a defence. United paid a huge sum to bring him back to the club he left for free four years ago, but he could prove to be worth every penny.
Both players bring drive and energy to their respective teams. Gaining control of the midfield is so often vitally important. This is undoubtedly a key battle.
Eric Bailly vs. Kelechi Iheanacho
The rise of Eric Bailly has been rapid and remarkable. He joined Espanyol’s youth system in 2011 aged 17, made his debut against Real Sociedad three years later, played for the Ivory Coast for the first time in 2015 and joined Villarreal later that same year. Eighteen months later, he moved to United for £30 million, identified by Mourinho as a key signing in his revolution.
He’s impressed so far. English football, with all its speed and physicality, appears to suit him. He looks liable to an error or two, but clearly there is huge potential in the 22-year-old.
And in the absence of Sergio Aguero, who begins a three-match ban this weekend, he is likely to face Kelechi Iheanacho, City’s superb 19-year-old striker.
Guardiola has other options available to him, such as playing Nolito, Raheem Sterling or Leroy Sane in a central role, but it’s likely he’ll opt for Iheanacho, who continues to impress whenever he is called upon.
He’s got quick feet, intelligence and goalscoring instincts. He is unselfish and rarely chooses the wrong option. If he is selected, watching these two youngsters take each other on will be a fascinating subtext to Saturday’s game.
Rob Pollard is Bleacher Report's lead Manchester City correspondent and follows the club from a Manchester base. All quotes and information were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.
Follow him on Twitter @RobPollard_.
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