After the worldwide excitement
leading up to El Clasico in
Spain, the attention now shifts to Manchester, England, as one of the most
fierce derby matches on the planet takes place.
Fallen
giants Manchester United host their superstar-laden neighbours Manchester City
in a battle that could dictate the futures of both club's managers.
David Moyes will be
looking to make it three wins on the spin, after his team rescued their
Champions League tie against Olympiakos at
OldTrafford and
had an impressive win this weekend against one of the Premier League's most
in-form sides, West Ham.
Manuel Pellegrini will be looking to fortify his team's
Premier League title-winning chances after recently crashing out of the FA Cup
and Champions League to Wigan Athletic and Barcelona.
The Sky Blues lie in third position
in the table, per BBC Sport, and
are six points behind leaders Chelsea.
However, they have three games in
hand on the West London club, and will need to win at Old Trafford to make this slim advantage pay for
them.
With the enforced absence of Robin van Persie for the
match, after sustaining a knee injury against Olympiakos, David Moyes chose to play his three most
flair-driven players together for the trip to West Ham.
The result, though only a solid 2-0 victory, was a taster
of what could be about to come with the three little wizards playing as a unit.
On Saturday, Wayne Rooney, Shinji Kagawa and Juan Mata proved United can play with fluidity,
which in turn does wonders for the team's confidence.
With Marouane Fellaini sitting deep and protecting, the three
were able to play close together and take the game away from their East London
opponents.
This could be a tactic that Moyes plays against City, forcing Yaya Toure onto the back foot.
However, if Moyes gives in to his pragmatic ways, he
will sacrifice this chance and go for a more defensively secure 4-4-1-1.
This would be a mistake: Chelsea set the blueprint of how
to beat Manchester City tactically, and any variation of 4-4-2 will just play
into Pellegrini's
hands.
United's home form has been shocking this season, and City
playmaker David Silva gave his opinion on their decline.
Silva is correct in his assessment, and United will need
to prove on Tuesday night that there is life after Fergie. The game has
come at a perfect time for Moyes and his men, and with a set of brave
tactics could see United achieve a shock victory.
When Yaya Toure signed for City from Barcelona
for a reported £24 million deal in 2010, per BBC Sport,
many eyebrows were raised at the size of the fee in comparison to the type of
player that was arriving at the Etihad Stadium.
Toure was viewed as very good player, with a versatile
edge, but it was questionable if he was a world-beater.
Those questions exist no more.
The 30-year-old Ivory Coast is now considered one of the
best midfielders in Europe, and his record for City has been phenomenal.
Toure has shone in both the Premier League and European
competition this year, scoring 17 goals in 34 combined appearances, and also
providing five assists, per WhoScored.com. This
is such a fantastic return for a player who was once considered a defensive
type.
Everything good that City does flows
through Toure. With Fernandinho acting
as a shield for the player, he can release himself from any shackles and play
the game he wants.
If Yaya plays well against United on Tuesday
night, the Red Devils will not win the match.
Toure is an example of how a player can peak later in his
career. Now into his thirties, he will have to manage his fitness more
closely.
But at Old Trafford, with a title
to fight for, he can do what he does best: Power his team to victory from the
centre of the park.
No comments:
Post a Comment