Manchester United's Derby Performance Shows Progress and Room for Improvement

Manchester United fans were left disappointed at the end of a 0-0 home draw with Manchester City although their opponents' expensively assembled attacking talents were—for the most part—nullified.

That United's attackers were unable to make their presence felt on the scoresheet was the most frustrating thing about the encounter. Indeed, it was in this area of the pitch that the room for improvement is most evident.

The Red Devils were well organised defensively and won the midfield battle fairly conclusively. They just could not make it count.

City defended in numbers, and their counter attacks were frequently neutered by United's midfield before they got as far as the back four.

The tale is partly told by the numbers—the excellent Morgan Schneiderlin made five interceptions, more than anyone else on the pitch. Ander Herrera made four successful tackles, displaying his usual tigerish tenacity.

After the game, manager Louis van Gaal said, "We [didn't] create so many chances because it is difficult. How [City] have played—so organised, so on the counter-attack—and then it is difficult for every team."

In his inimitable way, Van Gaal suggested here that any team would have struggled to create clear-cut chances against a team as defensively minded as City were on Sunday.

He went on to say, "That's like the game against Moscow. That was the same, also organised, but it says something about the strength of Manchester United nowadays."

Indeed it does. Teams, for the most part, set themselves up to defend deep against Van Gaal's side. United have been showing an improved ability to break through those kind of defences—and have scored three goals in five of their past 10 games.

Against City, they showed improvements in their defending against counter-attacks—particularly given how vulnerable they looked to the counter in the first half against CSKA Moscow in their previous game.

That was partly down to Van Gaal getting his initial team selection spot on from a defensive perspective. The midfield of Schneiderlin, Herrera and Bastian Schweinsteiger proved hard for City to penetrate, and the back four were defensively solid.

Marcos Rojo's inclusion was perhaps a slight surprise after his poor performance in Moscow, but he was in fine form in this one, helping his centre-backs and making seven tackles—more than anyone else in the game.

United's excellent defensive organisation and their ability to control the game for large periods were certainly the game's big signs of progress.

However, the ongoing Wayne Rooney problem is at the heart of the room for improvement. Dropping him for the derby would have been a step too far, but his performance was so poor Van Gaal should surely be considering his captain's position.

Of course, during the game the manager did not remove him. Instead, he substituted Juan Mata on 66 minutes. This was a change that simply did not need to be made. United were in almost total control of the game from half-time through to Mata's substitution.

Clive Rose/Getty Images

In that period, they enjoyed 70.6 per cent of possession to City's 29.4 per cent. They had three shots on goal to City's none. Two of those shots came as a result of passes from Mata, one in the box to Ander Herrera and one from a corner. Those two key passes from Mata were evidence of a player growing into the game after a poor first half.

From the period after Mata's removal to full-time, United had 46.2 per cent of the possession, although they still managed more chances than the visitors, with three shots to City's two. The best chance of the game came thanks to Jesse Lingard, brought on for Mata, which must mitigate criticism of Van Gaal's substitution.

It was not the choice of player brought on that was incorrect, rather it was the increasingly inevitable removal of Mata that grated. From a statistical perspective, as well as from the subjective experience of watching from the stands, it negatively affected United's performance.

Ultimately, though, there was more promise than disappointment for United. Gary Neville, writing in the Telegraph, said of the match: 

"

If City or United had torn the other apart, with the other team defending as they did, then you would say it was a quality performance.

But when a team nullifies the other, pays attention to detail of every one of the others’ strengths, you also have to say that that is a quality football match.

I will not be told by anybody that there wasn’t a lot of quality on that pitch today. When people talk about quality, they think of a great goal or a great shot or a great dribble.

But no, a quality football match is when two teams pretty evenly matched nullify each other and pay respect to each other.

"

Jon Super/Associated Press

United are worthy of respect again. They are two points off the top of the league after 10 games, seven points better off than at the same stage last season. Van Gaal said after the game, "I am disappointed [not to have won], but I have said also to my players that I cannot complain because I am very proud of my players."

He has much to be proud of; United are clearly improving, though there still some way to go.

All advanced statistics per WhoScored.com. All quotations obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted.