Manchester Shoddy: Derby Day Fun Hides Some Atrocious Man City Football

While the Eastlands has scarce been a host to many games more entertaining and dramatic than today's Manchester Derby, it certainly has seen its fair share of games with better football on display.  A fortuitous penalty and some atrocious United defending may have given the Blues a slender advantage for the return leg to Old Trafford, but should they play the same way as they did today they're setting themselves up for disaster.  

Most Man City fans will not have taken notice or simply don't care because the damning accusation thrust in their faces that "City are only concerned with beating United " seems to be more than true—no supporter of any of the biggest clubs in Europe would claim Elysium for themselves after witnessing their side perform so shoddily at home.

Roberto Mancini will take take the plaudits and why shouldn't he? He's been in Manchester a scarce month and he's already shot down City's biggest rivals and given the club's fans a game as entertaining as any. The tactical observer, however, would have noticed Mancini's mind-numbingly ineffective game plan .

Mancini's Gameplan: A Great Idea?

• A 4-5-1 with two holding midfielders [Barry, De Jong] to harry Fletcher and Anderson
• A box-to-box / attacking central player [Zabaleta] to find space, spray passes and support the wide men and Tevez
• Full backs who were expected to commit to defend [Garrido, Richards]
• Quick wingers who were expected to pressure Evra and Rafael and break rapidly [Bellamy, SWP]
• A lone man who would wander, wait for the ball, hold it up for support, lay it off and get in the box [Tevez]
• The midfield is expected to win the ball in the defensive half by putting pressure on United's central three, find the lone man or a winger with a quick ball and then move to provide attacking support
• The back line can play higher up the field knowing that the two holding players will give them the time to retreat if needed

Mancini's Gameplan: Why it Failed Miserably

• Barry and De Jong slotted in behind Zabaleta to stop Fletcher and Anderson's passing game but United simply bypassed them by using their wingers and overlapping fullbacks.
• Which wouldn't have been that bad for Man City but Barry and De Jong are two painfully slow players in comparison to Evra, Valencia & Rafael and there was ne'er a chance to get even get close
• Fletcher and Carrick held the ball with ridiculous ease in their own half because none of the City midfield three had the tactical permission to venture into United's half
• The back line playing higher up gave the United wide men acres of space to exploit—as demonstrated by the first goal
• Paolo Zabaleta is a man of limited creative and physical means and Carrick easily gave him little joy in his box to box role
• Receiving no support from Zabaleta meant an over dependence on wide men. This could have been the nail in the coffin for City's chances to create (as shown by how SWP was nulled by Evra) had it not been for Rafael's inexperience
• Even when Bellamy managed to get into a crossing position (which was several times)—Carlos Tevez was the only man even close to being  available as City's slow midfield inched forward only too late to support
• The last 15 minutes of the game, City committed to defending their lead with 10 men behind the football and in the box. Any simpleton will tell you that allowing your opponents so much time on the ball without direct pressure is a recipe for conceding. 

Roberto Mancini is a very, very lucky man.