Questions Remain for Alex Ferguson, Mark Hughes After Puzzling Manchester Derby

All the talk leading up to this weekend was about the Manchester derby and it didn’t disappoint. After dispatching Arsenal at Eastlands last week, Mark Hughes took his expensively assembled squad to Old Trafford to face their sternest test yet.

City were missing several big players, including Brazilian international Robinho and striker Emmanuel Adebayor, suspended for violent conduct against his old club and facing further FA sanction for inciting the travelling support.

United went into the game on the back of an average performance away to Besiktas mid-week, with questions mounting about their fluidity and absence of threat following the departure of Cristiano Ronaldo and Carlos Tevez, the latter returning to Old Trafford for the first time since his transfer across town during the summer.

A classic encounter ensued, with goals exchanged at a furious pace. City, deservedly level at the break, were out-played and their manager, Mark Hughes, out-thought in the second half.

The game turned in United’s favour with the introduction of Antonio Valencia and Hughes' attempts to negate his impact by withdrawing Stephen Ireland from central midfield and exiling him to the left flank to guard against Valencia’s forays.

Playing a classic 4-4-2 formation reminiscent of Ferguson’s mid-nineties championship winners and with Darren Fletcher and Anderson freed of Ireland’s attentions, United dominated midfield possession and used Valencia and Ryan Giggs to devastating effect, swamping the City defence with crosses and gaining the rewards with two headed goals from Darren Fletcher.

City rarely troubled the United goal in the second half and it took a disastrous loose ball from Rio Ferdinand, seized upon by Craig Bellamy, and dispatched with aplomb, to allow the away team back in the game. Michael Owen spared Ferdinand’s blushes with a late, late winner after an inch perfect pass from Ryan Giggs.

After an impressive start to the season City met their match and more this weekend in the shape of their local rivals. Mark Hughes will not be too discouraged to lose to an injury time goal away at the defending champions.

He might well point out that last week they defeated another top-four team in the shape of Arsenal and City will be confident of getting back on track with a win against West Ham at home next weekend.

Despite taking all three points and dominating for the second half of the game, the manner of United’s victory raises as many questions as City’s defeat. Ben Foster was at fault for City’s first goal and has looked less than comfortable in the continuing absence of Van Der Saar. Rio Ferdinand has missed a lot of football through niggling injuries and has not looked the most assured presence in the back four even when fit.

United were able to overcome City with a good old fashioned 4-4-2 and Rooney and Berbatov, amply supplied by two wingers who stretched City’s defence this way and that, at last looked like a partnership working on the same wavelength.

However, it was only with the introduction of Antonio Valencia and Mark Hughes’ subsequent tactical blunder in sending Ireland out wide that United were able to dominate City so comprehensively.

Ryan Giggs was a crucial factor in the win, turning back the clock on the left flank, summoning boundless energy to torment the City defence and providing a constant threat through crosses from deep and from the by-line.

But how many performances like this does Giggs have within him during a season? Despite his phenomenal fitness, he will need to be rested at times and Nani has so far failed to rise to the challenge of replacing Cristiano Ronaldo.

Will the ageing Giggs and the as yet unproven Nani, not to mention Valencia, be able to produce chances against the very best opposition at home and abroad? Ferguson may have gambled on 4-4-2 against this new Manchester City (at home) and won, but would he dare play only two central midfielders against Chelsea, Barcelona, or Inter?