Manchester Derby: The 3 Obstacles Manchester City Will Bring to Old Trafford

The Manchester Derby has always been an anticipated fixture.

However, the first of this season seems to surpass them all. With Manchester City straddling their neighbours at the top of the Premiere League table by only a two-point deficit, many believe this derby will provide some of the most entertaining and possibly unforgettable football of the past nine weeks.

We all remember Rooney's wonder-goal bicycle kick in the February derby of 2010-11, and we are mindful of the dominance Manchester United has had over the Citizens for many seasons now. This season, however, both boys of Manchester have been playing hard and fast with their Premiere League opponents.

When City and United take the field at Old Trafford on Sunday, you can expect a fight to the death. Both desire the glory to be the best in Manchester as well as the premiere spot at the top of the league table entering into Week 10. Rooney will be looking to maintain his position as lead goalscorer, with Sergio Aguero two goals away from surpassing him if he comes up duck. 

The Red Devils will be the most difficult fixture, statistically at least, City will have had to face so far and they appear ready for the challenge. With no injuries and all strikers and wingers in exceptional form, Manchester United will have to prove that it has not only been luck and graces that has kept them in their goal scoring and winning ways in the BPL this season.

Both teams will start this fixture as if it is any other game, but when the 90-plus minutes have come and gone, it shall prove to be much more than that. For Manchester United to walk away with the victory and derby glory, they must be mindful of three arrows in the Citizen quiver. Although generalized, there is no better way to describe how great and threatening they will be this Sunday afternoon.

The Red Devils will have to fight hard and constantly, and play smart and sharp against a Manchester City that is as unrelenting as United themselves. The 2011-12 Manchester Derby will be a dramatis personae filled with multiple plot lines that come together to create the larger story that these two teams have been writing since September.

It surely will not end when the final whistle blows at Old Trafford tomorrow.

Manchester United Will Have to Combat How Offensive the Citizen Will Be

Manchester City has earned more points away from home this season than any other British Premiere League team. Only letting five goals escape Hart’s clutches, Manchester City has been on a touring rampage. Obviously, Manchester United has to pay close attention to their defensive weaknesses and play on their strengths.

In recent weeks, Manchester City has monopolized on defensive gaps in the box and capitalized on goalkeepers that have fallen off their line. To ensure a victory, Manchester United has to follow the tried and true philosophy of winning football matches: “score more than the other guy”. The Citizens have averaged 3.5 goals away from the Etihad and do not intend to stop when they enter Old Trafford, unless United’s defense can effectively mark and dominate the ever hungry City strike force.

The prospect of Manchester City’s leading goal scorers: Sergio Aguero, Edin Dzeko, and Mario Balotelli making cameos in Sunday’s game are very likely. The trio all has 17 goals between them, with 9 goals accrued in away fixtures. But the biggest impact Manchester City has in their offense is the ability for other players to score goals. Nearly half of the goals City has earned away resulted from strikes by players not named Aguero, Balotelli, or Dzeko, which is a statistic only paralled in the BPL by the Red Devil offense. United will have to keep a close eye on Milner, Toure, Nasri, and Silva, some of whom have actually scored. These men lead City in assists away from home, and dominate the passing centrally throughout the game. Effectively marking them will prove vital in keeping the autumn derby victory alive.

Despite the arrival of City, Manchester United intends to sustain one of the cleanest sheets at home in the league as of week 9. De Gea has to be ready for ariel stops and cheeky shots, coupled with scrapping tries at goal in the box. The City offense is relentless and hungry, and has been dominating play in the past few weeks convincingly with 35% of their away goals amassed deep in the second half—another harbinger of the quality of play we should expect to see on Sunday.

The Citizen offense has been a marvel to behold and respect for the past nine weeks. If Manchester United intends to dominate this derby, their defense must be stalwart, dedicated, and unremitting; they need to stay sharper than the City attack or else they will need to work harder then they will want to.

Joe Hart Will Not Be Beaten That Easily

Joe Hart is one of the best goalkeepers in the league both at home and away. His average in the league to date has been 1.25 goals on tour. Thirty-seven percent of shots on goal he’s had to face have resulted in goals.

He has a good command of his defensive line and a keen eye for possible strikes from an offense. Although he conceded 80 percent of his opponent’s away goals in the second half, the Englishman still maintains a high proportion of stops and saves in 45-plus minute play. United has to be mindful that if they get past Kompany, Lescott, Clichy, or Savić, Hart will be keeping a strong line in front of goal.

Joe Hart is also an effective defender of corner set pieces, which is pivotal and valuable in any Manchester United fixture. He stands up to abrasive markings in the box and can muscle his way to a ball. Another quality Hart possesses in his goalkeeping arsenal, is his penalty kick saves. Although he hasn't had an opportunity to put it on display, in previous seasons he has shown his effectiveness under that sort of pressure.

Although one of the most memorable Joe Hart misses is the Rooney bicycle kick earlier this year, they can be few and far between these days, especially with the all around improvements and progress of the Citizen squad.

Pumping up the tempo during the second half, such as in previous matchups like Community Shield, will increase the possibilities of the win. To come out on top Sunday afternoon, Manchester United will have to be as resourceful and gung-ho as they have been in the past to frustrate Hart and Manchester City. 

The City Defense Will Monopolize on Red Devil Possession and Apprehension

When exiting the Etihad, City does not struggle compared to other BPL teams; their defense away has been among the best this season. Only one of their away fixtures has resulted in a clean sheet, but that was versus the penultimate team in the league. Manchester United, sitting a little discontentedly at second, should prove a more tasking opponent.

Although the Red Devils have struggled in previous matches to finish plays and make attempts at goal, there is still no doubt that Javier Hernandez and Wayne Rooney are capable of scoring goals almost anywhere around the box with any legal part of their body.  Not only will City have to contend with Chicharito and/or Rooney, but also with the almost unquestionable presence of Nani.

The winger has been a joy to watch the past few fixtures, taking the initiative to create and execute plays when other forwards and attackers seem to be falling short. Nani drives down the center or weaves through the right, and sometimes the left, for Red Devil glory. His fastidious and intelligent playing these past few weeks has proved a little disconcerting for certain defensive lines but Manchester City just might be different. 

All the capped Citizen defenders of the season are strong and rooted players who are effective passers on the ball; they keeping a continuous motion that can aggravate United: similar to Chelsea and Stoke’s performance. Manchester City might not find it difficult to keep possession over United, but if at once they lose that possession, they must be able to choke the midfield strike progression.

As United leads the league in second half goals at home, City has allowed four goal in their second half of play away. City will look to keep steady pressure throughout both halves; they can create an in-the-death possession that should only leave United to be more cleaner on the ball and more willing to strike. City has not given many of their opponents enough looks on the ball to result in goals. If Manchester United is granted a corner, they will be marked very heavily with the knowledge of previous United goals resulting from corner headers.

The Red Devils will have to be creative and persistent if they intend to break through the City defense. They cannot afford incomplete passes and lost possession, but most importantly, United must create and execute plays, regardless of result. If their greatest offensive shortcoming these few weeks has been their panic and near apprehension to try at goals, as seen by Danny Welbeck at Anfield, there is no doubt that City will benefit.