Barely two months after the Premier League began, its two most expensively assembled sides are struggling under two very highly-rated managers, who find themselves in unfamiliar territory, having to cope with tremendous amounts of early-season pressure.
The early days were kind to both, and chatter around the league centred around whether the shiny trophy would go to Jose Mourinho for the fourth time or Pep Guardiola in his first season in English football.
However, after spending over a hundred million pounds each on shiny new faces, Manchester United and Manchester City are stranded in mid-season turmoil, hoping to banish any lingering doubts over their title credentials. Suddenly, what should have been a dull mid-week League cup clash with fringe and squad players has turned into a face-saver, with both managers looking to apply the brakes on the murmurs of dissent that crop up around Manchester.
United on the verge of implosion
Paul Pogba. Zlatan Ibrahimovic. Henrikh Mkhitaryan. These names would walk into any side on the planet. Or so it was thought. Pogba’s season hit a nadir on Sunday in United’s 4-0 loss to Chelsea, with the Frenchman’s play too comical to watch, especially when compared to compatriot N’ Golo Kante, who ran the show and dominated proceedings at Stamford Bridge.
It was an unhappy return to the Bridge for Mourinho, who had his biggest Premier League defeat inflicted upon him and had to see the best of his summer signings, Eric Bailly, go off injured with knee ligament damage. Things really cannot get any worse for the Portuguese manager.
Ibrahimovic, after four goals in as many matches at the start of the season, has offered nothing of note since, scoring just one goal in eight games – that goal coming against Zorya Luhansk in the Europa League. The Swede has been starved of service and suffered his biggest defeat since 2000 in Sunday’s thrashing.
Mkhitaryan has only started one half of a league game, his performance in the 1-2 defeat against City anonymous. The bigger problem for the United manager is his inability to find his best team and carve out a place for Pogba.
The new Mou looks like a pale shadow of the man who took the league by storm 12 years ago and has struggled to impose his identity upon this United team. The stakes are higher for him than they are for Pep, and even with several first-teamers struggling for form, the increased magnitude of the game makes it impossible for him to drop them.
City fall flat after blistering start
Following City’s 1-1 draw against Southampton, reports emerged of Guardiola locking up his players for an hour in their dressing room to address them. It is understandable given the Catalan’s penchant for control, having just overseen a game in which the Citizens failed to register a single shot on target in a miserable first half.
Blessed with an array of attacking talent, their overwhelming reliance on Kevin de Bruyne is befuddling, given that Pep likes to rotate his squad and may not always pick the Belgian in his squad. Their struggles without de Bruyne have not gone unnoticed by other squads, who have been able to shut down the likes of Sergio Aguero, David Silva and Raheem Sterling.
The draw also equalled Guardiola’s longest run without a win as a manager, now standing at five in all competitions. Fortunately for Pep, he holds the upper hand in his rivalry with Jose, winning nine of 17 matches against him. City are also in considerably lesser pressure than United, and still stand top of the league.
Will the 3-5-2 sting Mourinho again?
Antonio Conte’s use of a 3-5-2 seemed to puncture a hole in United’s strategy, with their midfield completely overrun by Chelsea’s. With his best defender Bailly out, the task to keep City quiet will be considerably tougher and Daley Blind could come into the centre for the Ivorian.
Marouane Fellaini, trusted by Mourinho this season, is also out and should be replaced by Michael Carrick, who brings a degree of control to the team. Further up forward, Anthony Martial should make a start and the Frenchman will be desperate to show his manager what he’s been missing. Juan Mata should also start in a slightly withdrawn role. Wayne Rooney missed United’s defeat to Chelsea through a thigh injury and is not expected to play a role against City either.
On City’s side, no massive changes are expected. Defenders Bacary Sagna and Pablo Zabaleta are out and will not feature in the three-man defence that Guardiola may opt for. Captain Vincent Kompany, having made a return against Southampton, should feature at the heart of the backline.
Leroy Sane and Aleix Garcia should also get some much-needed game time, while David Silva is expected to be the creator-in-chief behind Aguero. Claudio Bravo could be rested for the match and be replaced by Willy Caballero between the sticks.
The stakes have suddenly been raised for the season’s second Manchester derby and it could not have come at a more difficult moment for the two sides. The fixture doesn’t look like a damp squib and expect some fireworks – if not on the pitch, then surely from the two gaffers in their respective dugouts.
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