THE first Manchester derby

The EPL is set for a mouth-watering encounter between two of the World’s best football managers. It is not just going to be a match between the most successful club in the Premier League and their noisy neighbours who have started to stamp their authority on the league since a new owner took over proceedings at the club, it is going to be a clash of personal pride. Feelings will be hurt as have been in the past, tackles will fly, it will be tension soaked (There might even be a poke in the eyes). Nonetheless, the football world will be at a standstill when both managers cum titans step on the battlefield in their first ever Manchester derby. Both teams have gone on the international break on a high having recorded victories over the weekend. City defeated West Ham United by 3-1 while United secured a late 1-0 victory over Hull City. City though leads United on goal difference after both clubs have got maximum points from their first three games alongside Chelsea. Both clubs have made fantastic additions to their squads. Nolito from Celta Vigo, young Leroy Sane from Shalke, John Stones; who became the most expensive British defender from Everton, Claudio Bravo; set to replace the out of favour Joe Hart from Barcelona and Ilkay Gundogan from Dortmund headline the of City summer signings while United made a clear statement of intent and class to other clubs with the acquisition of Paul Pogba for a World record fee from Juventus. Zlatan Ibrahimovic wants to be a god at Old Trafford, Mikhitaryan joined from Dortmund, Ivory Coast’s Bially left Villareal for Old Trafford. Both teams ooze class quality.

MOURINHO VS GUARDIOLA 

A tale of two inquisitive friends schooled under Van Gaal’s tutelage at Camp Nou who now have no lovelost between them is set to continue in England. Stemming from their time as managers of two Spanish giants Real Madrid and Barcelona, Guardiola must have rued his luck when Mourinho was announced as the new Red Devils boss in May after Van Gaal’s sacking having been confirmed as Pellegrini’s successor back in February himself. Bad blood flowed between the two rivals in Spain owing to a series of confrontation; a fight that is not ending anytime soon. They made El Classico more famous, why? Because of the presence of Ronaldo and Messi and of course a possible altercation between Mourinho and Pep. They have since chosen different career paths, Guardiola won with Bayern, so did Mourinho with Chelsea, but was ultimately sacked six months into his second year of his second stint.

September is the month which they reignite their feud. When asked some few weeks back if he would shake hands with the lousy Portuguese, Guardiola saw no reason why they shouldn’t as they are both grown-ups. Both coaches hone their tactical ingenuity to perfection taking to account every detail. Pep flexes his muscles with tactical changes before and during the course of a game while Mou is also a master of the game. It is therefore safe to say they are both “tactical slaves.”

MANCHESTER CITY

Key Men include; John Stones, David Silva, De Bryune, Sterling and Aguero

Pep is known for his passing philosophy in which his team starves the opposition of the ball. He looks to instill that philosophy on this City team as they now play a high pressing game to recoup possession as soon as possible whenever it is lost. Apart from his Tiki-taka brand of play, he now plays directly too as shown in a flow against West Ham. Caballero to Zabaleta to De Bryune to Nolito and back to De Bryune. Although the Belgian didn’t score, the move was fantastic. Guardiola has been a subject of speculations from fans after he decided to jettison the England No.1 and fan favourite Joe Hart for Willy Caballero deeming him unfit for his philosophy. Claudio Bravo could make his first start for the citizens, so could Gundogan and Sane. Stones has been an excellent performer since his move to the Etihad, good physically and adept with the ball at his feet would surely endear him to Pep. Sterling has seen a change in fortune with Pep, playing as a traditional winger with the freedom to drift inwards to a striking position has seen him produce goals already this season; a perfect example is his two goals against the Hammers last weekend; Sumptuous Silva is a slick No.10 capable of eluding defenders and has the knack for picking the right pass at the right time. De Bryune is an unsung hero with his ever impressive work rate, an intelligent playmaker blessed with good vision and capable of playing in the three positions behind the striker. Very dangerous at set-pieces with a pin-point accuracy of his execution to his credit. Much will depend on the two playmakers to keep the supply coming for the trio of Nolito, Sterling and Aguero.

Sergio Aguero

Aguero has already scored thrice this season and would relish the chance to add to his tally of 8 goals in 9 matches in the derby.

Probable Lineups

 

MANCHESTER UNITED

Key men include: De Gea, Bially, Pogba, Rooney and Zlatan.

4-2-3-1 in the movement, Mourinho has always been an advocate of this formation. He uses two holdond midfielders to shield the back four. He hasn’t digressed a bit from the belief. The only tweak notable is Pogba’s freedom to play as a central midfielder sometimes where he does his job as a defensive midfielder and also contribute to the attack. A solid base at the heart of the defence is also a major definition of a Mourinho team as seen with Carvalho, Terry and Zouma at Porto and subsequently Chelsea, Ramos, Pepe and Varane at Madrid and a certain Zanetti and Materazzi at Internazionale. Even when the middle of the park collapses, opposing teams still have their hands full with a strong backline to contend with. At the back, one of United’s best performers in the last couple of seasons has been David De Gea. Fax machine definitely did wonders for United. He single-handedly won a lot of matches for Van Gaal’s drab side last season with a series of breath-taking saves, little wonder he has displaced Casillas as Spain’s first choice goalie. Bially has been solid at the back and has seamlessly adjusted to life in the EPL with two Man of the match displays in his first three league games. Luke Shaw looks to be back to full fitness and personal best that saw him widely regarded as the team’s best performer before his unfortunate leg break against PSV that curtailed his season missing more than eight months of footballing action. Fellaini is the new toast of supporters after a sensational start to life under Mou that has seen him command a starting eleven shirt thrice and also for being busy saving a crushed fan during the victory over Hull while others were celebrating Rashford’s winner. Nevertheless, he sustained a back injury that could see him miss a lot of matches.

Pogbamovic

World’s costliest player, Paul Pogba has also eased into the setup in his second homecoming. He looks to justify his hefty fee and a derby is the perfect game to stamp his authority. England captain, Wayne Rooney could continue in his role behind Zlatan despite growing calls for him to be dropped. Up front is the emblem of ego himself, Zlatan Ibrahimovic. He will look to settle scores with his former manager whom he has a soiled relationship with. He branded the Spaniard a coward with no balls during their unspectacular time together with the Catalans.

In PES 2011 soccer game, Jon Champion said, “Derby Day: Rarely quiet, never ever dull.” In a clash of technicality as well as physicality, football fans across the globe will savour every moment. 

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