Lifestyle > Sports & Entertainment
The Official Football (Soccer) Thread
K-MACC:
8)
The_Ripper:
Manchester United v Manchester City: five things we learned from an incredible afternoon at Old Trafford
1. Mancini picked the right team
The Manchester City manager could have gone several ways for this derby. He could have picked Edin Dzeko to lead the line, chosen Samir Nasri instead of James Milner, and he might have plumped for Pablo Zabeleta over Micah Richards. But no. Roberto Mancini followed his instincts, which proved to be sound. Milner and Richards were superb. And as for Mario Balotelli, well, this madcap striker could not have done much more to repay the faith of his manager.
2. Sir Alex Ferguson is human
I'm talking here about his team selection, as it is unusual for the Manchester United manager not to make provisions for opponents who flood central midfield. City tend to do exactly that when David Silva is drifting inside and when, in this case, Milner does the same to join Gareth Barry and Yaya Touré. As a result, Anderson and Darren Fletcher simply could not cope. Even before the sending off, they were being outmanoeuvred by City's superior numbers.
3. United's defence needs stability
They need Nemanja Vidic back alongside a regular partner. I know United have been hampered by injuries but Jonny Evans showed that he falls slightly short in this kind of company. He certainly should have been cuter when trying to stop Balotelli rather than fouling him. The referee had no choice but to send him off. It was a mistake that should not have been allowed to happen and probably wouldn't have been committed by a stronger central defence.
4. Strength of the squads
City have arguably amassed a better squad than United. We should avoid overreaction, this was just one result. City must first prove they can go the distance before any shift-of-power claims receive proper attention. Nevertheless, look at the players available to City. Joe Hart, Richards, Vincent Kompany, Yaya Touré, Silva, Nasri and Sergio Agüero would all probably win a place in Ferguson's side. Agree or not, you cannot deny that it is a valid talking point.
5. City have arrived
They are genuine title contenders. We suspected as much beforehand but this really hammered home the point. No one can be in any doubt now that Mancini's squad is big enough and good enough to push United and Chelsea all the way. Just as importantly, self belief has just soared through the roof. The tentative attitude seen in the first 15 minutes here, when the visitors didn't believe in themselves enough, should now be consigned to history.
KURUPTION-81:
--- Quote from: Lunatic on October 23, 2011, 10:55:40 AM ---This result will forever go down in Man United history. 6-1 to your rival at Old Trafford? Embarrassing
--- End quote ---
yeah was very hard to sit there watching it.
johnny Evans such an idiot let him have the shot and we r still in the game.
Well and truly beaten, a long way to go though and city will take some stopping
K.Dub:
3-5, get in 8)
13th Duke:
--- Quote from: K.Dub on October 29, 2011, 04:28:35 PM ---3-5, get in 8)
--- End quote ---
As far as entertainment it was the game of the season thus far. Even more so than the Manchester derby or the Man Utd Arsenal game simply because it was much more competitive and fast-paced. Nice to see John terry fucking up aswell.
Navigation
[0] Message Index
[#] Next page
[*] Previous page
Go to full version