When were City last above United in the league at this point of the season, let alone top of the whole thing?
In games like this, so often the play ends up being dour and defensive, and it is something which happened to some extent last year, where a poor 0-0 draw at Eastlands at the start of the season was followed up by a 2-1 win for United later in the campaign.
Manchester United have for much of this season been phenomenal going forward, with Ashley Young and Nani explosive behind Wayne Rooney. Javier Hernandez is always a threat and will score goals when given the chance, and this is something City will have to be wary of on Sunday. United though, tend to use width to exploit their opponents. Finding Young and Nani in space is what United do well, and this means that City will have to do two things.
First, they must ensure that their full backs, Aleksander Kolarov and Micah Richards, don’t give too much space to either of them. And then they must prevent players such as Michael Carrick or Anderson being able to get the ball forward to them quickly. But either way, United will play the ball into them and look to stretch the City defence. It could be that Roberto Mancini opts for Nigel De Jong, Gareth Barry and Yaya Toure as he did against United last season. This would give them the defensive cover to ensure they have players who can fill any gaps left by United’s wide probing.
But when in possession, City are more than capable themselves. It is unlikely to be a game for more than one playmaker, so David Silva is likely to be playing alongside Sergio Aguero and either Mario Balotelli, Edin Dzeko or the more functional James Milner. The key for them could be ensuring that the midfield, defence and attack remain close together, and don’t get stretched as they did in the beginning of the game with Manchester United in the FA Cup semi final last season. That day, United dominated early on as they created space with their probing passing, but City took charge by remaining a compact unit, defending and attacking as a team.
If they can do this, they stand a good chance of repelling the United attacks, and one would expect a cagey game in which the home side do most of the probing. But a City side who are able to play a close unit, without leaving too much space between midfield and attack, could mean that they can pose a threat up front.
What seems most likely, in this fascinating encounter, is that one goal could win it. Neither side will want to give too much away, or to risk too much too soon. A tight game will rely most likely, on one of the great individual talents on show; Silva, Aguero, Rooney and Hernandez. Which comes out on top, will determine the outcome of this game.
