Manchester United vs. Manchester City: In the Ultimate Test, Who's Better?

Ever since the Premier League came into existence, newspaper columnists and fans of other sports teams (read Liverpool) have—usually around Christmas time—claimed that Manchester United and Sir Alex Ferguson have finally halted.

And, come May, it is usually (12 times out of 19 Premier League seasons) Manchester United that prevail. Be it against Kevin Keegan’s Newcastle United for the 1995-96 title, against Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal (well, almost every season), against Chelsea (many coaches!) and always against Liverpool.

If you've watched the Premier League for some time now, you might remember the (famous then and infamous now) “COME BACK WHEN YOU'VE WON 18” banner raised by the Liverpool fans against Manchester United and Eric Cantona. The tally then in 1994 was Liverpool 18, Manchester United 9. Now in late 2011 it is Liverpool 18, Manchester United 19, and if it were to change any time soon, there is more chances of it being 18-20 rather than 19-19.

This season, Manchester City are the biggest threats to United’s stronghold. It cannot be said at this point whether United will retain their title or not, but it sure seems headed for one of the two big clubs in Manchester. Let us see which team is better!

1.Sir Alex Ferguson’s Been There, Done That

When talk of Manchester United’s success comes, so does the praise for Sir Alex Ferguson. Right now, midway through the league season, Manchester United are five points behind their eternal rivals Manchester City. More important than the five points, it is the 1-6 loss at old Trafford to the “noisy neighbours” that haunts the Reds even more. Yes, it was the biggest ever loss to City, a big embarrassment at their own home ground and definitely a sign that the power scale could certainly be shifting towards the other end in Manchester, England.

Roberto Mancini is a great manager, no doubt. But who can undermine Sir Alex? He’s done it all! He’s been behind Arsenal, Chelsea and Liverpool before and yet ended up on top! Sir Alex knows leagues are won in May and not in December. So, Manchester United may not be in pretty much good form at the moment but they are prime contenders for the title! Yes ahead of even City! Despite those precious five points.

Until this great lion finally retires, Manchester United will always be the top contenders for the title.

2.United Are a Team While City Are Still a Bunch of Players!

City are performing swell at the moment! They are on top and deservedly so. It definitely isn't easy to leave behind the 1-6, especially because the United fans aren't used to big losses, at least not when they are not facing some Catalan team.

If we were to compare the players of City and United individually, even the most staunch United Fans have to admit, City have more “stars.” But United are a more settled team! And it’s a team that wins the trophy not a bunch of players. Of course City are playing brilliantly and most players are on top form (they are all over the top scorers or top assists table), but with big players and big stats also comes big ego! Last year’s top scorer Tevez is hitting the news for the wrong reasons. As much as it is amazing that the Argentine is excess to requirements at the blue end of Manchester, it could be disastrous if “Super” Mario follows the same path!

On the other hand, it is quite unlikely that the same would happen with a United player despite last year’s brief Rooney saga.

So, United hold an advantage over City in this respect.

3.Great Teams and Great Cycles

Sir Alex Ferguson’s greatness isn’t the result of the success of one famous United team. During his quarter-of-a-century stint at United, he has made many great teams. He has watched them rise and re-created them when they seemed to falter. The most famous may be the ones that won the treble in 1999 or the double in 2008, but who knows, the 2012 team could be equally glorious as well!

Both City and United are forerunners in all major competitions. It is trophies that can judge which team is better. At this moment, United aren’t at all glittery, but if they were to win the league or the Champions League, history will regard them a great team.

So both teams must be patient at the moment. Any one team’s shaky performance will directly help the other. Both teams have great depths! The season is long, and squad depth and quality could very well be the determinant to deciding who will prevail!

The ability of Sir Alex to create and re-create great teams has been the envy of the entire footballing world. And he doesn't seem done!

4.United Are Still Winning Aren’t They?

Yes, their performance is shaky and they are winning by one-goal margins while City are massacring every team they come across. But big victories award the same number of points as marginal victories (only rarely does the goal difference decide) and United are winning too!

If we were to look at the past seasons of United, they always face stiff competition during midseason and are usually behind some team. Of course, the margin of difference this season is five-points, big but if they somehow crawl through this stage by the narrowest of margins even, then they are sure to put up a performance at the end!

At this stage it seems the next Manchester Derby could be very much deciding and in this respect City are favourites, but the season isn’t all derbies and other games are equally important. The most consistent team will take away the league trophy!

5.The Vidic Factor?

Leaving the United captain out of the bench for the derby, it seems, might have been a very bad decision. At present, United are on a roll of clean sheets. The presence of this man definitely makes a difference. While other players like Patrice Evra, Darren Fletcher and Anderson aren’t playing as well as we have seen them play, it is this man who is leading the United defence and the team as a whole who seems to be on top form. And that could be very important. Vidic was the last Premier League season’s player of the year. He could be United’s most important player this season as well.

The captain could lead his team to stability, then progress and maybe even victory!
His guaranteed presence in the next derby could make a difference. Let us wait and watch! 

Verdict

Old Trafford was painted blue at the end of the last Manchester Derby. While City have the capability to paint blue the entire city of Manchester, it is the Reds who hold a slight advantage over them! The major factor could be the invaluable experience of Sir Alex and the Premier League holders who are used to winning and winning big!

But expect a fight till the end and whoever wins, there will be a lot of excitement. Will the goal difference eventually decide? United fans hope not!

Who do you think will prevail at the end? Will it be City this time? Or will it again be United?