The 191st Manchester derby ended tragically for the hosts, Manchester United. The Red Devils were crushed by the defending champions by three goals without reply. The score further confirms that for now, the city of Manchester still belongs to The Citizen. The difference in play between the two looks very stark, making United fans have to think again about the targets of their proud team this season.
Here are 5 things that were determining factors in the course of the match:
1. Controversial penalty in the 23rd minute.
A free kick is awarded to Manchester City on the left side of the United defense. The ball is lifted by Julian Alvarez in the United penalty box crowd. Rodri was seen falling, even though the referee continued play. Thirty seconds later, Paul Tierney received a call from the VAR referee to immediately analyze the situation directly on the monitor. It didn’t take long for Tierney to point to the spot after seeing Rasmus Hojlund caught in the act of blocking Rodri’s progress by grabbing his stomach with his left hand. What was a bit controversial, was how many seconds earlier it was seen in the replay that John Stones actively stopped Harry Maguire’s movement, who was actually guarding Rodri at that moment, by falling behind him. However, the referee’s subjective point of view is still acceptable because Hojlund deliberately stopped Rodri. Haaland was also able to execute the penalty to become City’s first goal.
2. Eric Ten Hag doesn’t seem confident with his own strategy.
A formation in a match, especially in a match as big as the Manchester Derby, is of course prepared well in advance. Starting Line Up has been chosen by Eric Ten Hag in the hope of maintaining his winning streak in the last three matches. Harry Maguire and Scott McTominay’s brilliant performance in United’s last match meant they got the red carpet to fill their best positions. Harry Maguire in the back line, this time accompanied by the Red Devils’ most senior player, Johnny Evans. Scott McTominay was also given the number 10 position behind Hojlund to continue his brilliant scoring record this season. Both for United and for Scotland. What is a bit of a question is whether Christian Eriksen was given the motorbike role of the game, to which Ten Hag might answer that he provided calm in possession of the ball. Bruno Fernandes was expected to play on the right side, although he looked very uncomfortable in that position throughout the game.
Since the first half started until 10 minutes, it appears that the Red Devils’ defensive strategy was not to give space in the middle to City’s fast players. They seemed to let City pass the ball to the flank, with the belief that if a crossing was provided, the Maguire-Evans duo would be able to overcome Haaland. In the attacking transition, the ball was given directly to Hojlund and McTominay who were able to explosively penetrate City’s midfield. Unfortunately, it is inevitable that when the strategy goes well, a penalty is given to the opposing team, making United have to be more open in attacking. The United players’ response was actually very good, even though City were able to dominate more, they were still sharp in attack.
Even in the 45th minute, as a result of a formation change made in the final five minutes of the match, United had their best chance. Bruno was returned to the center of the field. Marcus Rashford combed on the right side, while McTominay and Hojlund acted as twin spears. The ball sent by Rashford on the right was able to find McTominay who managed to escape from the City defense. Unfortunately, his hard kick was parried brilliantly by Ederson. The majority of Red Devils supporters certainly hope that this wind will continue in the second half.
However, it was this substitution at the start of the second half that caused disaster for Manchester United. Mason Mount entered as playmaker to replace Amrabat. Bruno returns on the right side, while McTominay plays in the number 8 position. Practically United will play without a pure defensive midfielder in the second half. This is what caused the Red Devils to be messed with throughout the second interval because the midfielders were slow in defending. Two additional goals from Haaland and Foden completed United’s misery, which was only met with a few frantic changes in the remainder of the half. It was City’s third goal that explained Eriksen’s mistake in replacing Amrabat’s role, because Eriksen was unable to match Rodri’s movement before shooting the ball which Onana was able to parry.
3. Pep Guardiola is very clever in changing his strategy without changing formation.
One of the advantages of teams that have been established for a long time, is that they can focus on small changes on the field without being confused about positions during transitions. Realizing that United were giving space on the flank just to open a crossing, Pep changed s
A little strategy to get the first goal. Julian Alvarez, who at the start of the match was only seen competing without the ball with Man-Marking Amrabat, was sent down a bit to pick up the ball and immediately pass it to the left side. The right side of United’s defense was the easy target, because Grealish and Bernardo’s link-up play was so good, it was difficult for Dalot to stop him, who was covered by Eriksen and Bruno. Both of them are less strong in defense. Bernardo Silva got a few moments into the penalty box with one or two touches, making Harry Maguire quite confused. At the end of the first half, this tactic almost gave Haaland a second goal, if his header had not been brilliantly blocked by Onana. A Save of The Season.
In the second half, there were slight changes in strategy but it had a big impact on the whole match. Knowing Mount’s replacement for Amrabat, Rodri was given a little freedom to attack forward. Because he didn’t face physical pressure from McTominay anymore, Pep felt that John Stones was enough to stay in the area in front of the defender. Changes were also ordered for Haaland, where in the first half he was involved in a lot of direct contact with Maguire-Evans, now he is waiting for the ball at the second post. Instantly, there was City’s second goal using the same attack scheme as the first half. Plus, in the 80th minute, Rodri’s shot was blocked by Onana, his second ball found Haaland at the second post. He freely passed it to Foden who was in front of an empty goal, so it was the third goal.
4. Rodri’s classy appearance.
Without needing any further explanation, Rodri has declared himself the best defensive midfielder in the world since last season. The highlight was his only goal in the final match of the Champions League against Inter Milan. This season, with increasing confidence, he can roam the entire pitch and win almost any possession. He can also share the ball well. He also found a sense of security in this match because Pep preferred John Stones to accompany him in the middle of the field compared to other players. It feels like seeing a complete package of Sergio Busquets, N’golo Kante and Patrick Vieira in the form of one person. Masterclass.
5. Erling Haaland’s game is getting more mature.
Man of the Match in this match with two goals and one assist. It is not surprising that Haaland’s ball possession statistics in this match were very minimal. He once stated that you don’t need to control the ball often, the important thing is to make one touch into a goal. If you compare it to Rasmus Hojlund in the Red Devils camp, who is often seen carrying the ball a lot at speed, Haaland is more often seen on the screen celebrating his and his teammates’ goals. A slight change in strategy was given to him by Pep to avoid direct physical combat with the United defender duo. Changes to this increasingly mature game must be made, considering that this season he will lose a lot of playing time with Kevin De Bruyne, and will no longer receive mature balls from Gundogan.
Those are the five things that are Manchester City’s absolute advantage over Manchester United in this match. Manchester’s sky is still blue, and who knows when it will turn red again. Red Devils fans have to be patient with this condition.
ASL
