The Revealing Manchester Derby

On March 4th, the Manchester Derby took place at the Etihad Stadium, the home ground of Manchester City.

The match saw Manchester City securing a victory by scoring three goals in the second half, while Manchester United only managed to score one goal in the first half.

The game showcased the difference in levels.

Manchester City demonstrated why they are currently at the top level in Europe,

while Manchester United revealed why they are facing a tough battle.

Manchester City stuck to their usual game plan.

They deployed three players at the back – Walker, Dias, and Ake – to prepare for counterattacks.

In midfield, Rodri and Stones were stationed to play a role in the buildup and occasionally penetrate through the half-space.

Upfront, Halland was positioned as the main striker, with Doku and Foden almost fixed on the wings. Meanwhile, Bernardo Silva and Kevin De Bruyne moved freely in the midfield.

Manchester United came with a new tactical approach, effectively playing with a formation resembling a 4-2-4-0, abandoning the traditional forward and forming a thick midfield to focus on defense.

Due to defensive line injuries, Dalot, Varane, Evans, and Lindelof formed the backline, with Casemiro and Mainoo providing protection in front of them.

Ahead of them, Garnacho, Bruno Fernandes, McTominay, and Rashford were deployed not just in the first or second lines but essentially in a 2.5-line setup.

It was a drastic defensive tactic, with a perfectly deployed deep block.

In the first half, Manchester United's tactics worked well.

Manchester City struggled to break through their defensive wall.

The pattern they primarily wanted to utilize was to spread the play wide first and then, when Manchester United's full-backs were drawn out, exploit the empty half-spaces with Silva or De Bruyne penetrating.

However, Manchester United pushed their full-backs and wingers almost to the same position.

If the half-spaces were left empty, Casemiro or Mainoo filled those spaces, effectively blocking City's attempts.

As a result, Manchester City found themselves continuously recycling possession and only managed to produce inaccurate shots from distance.

 

And then, an opportunity arose for Manchester United, who had been defending so well.

Onana, the goalkeeper, spotted Bruno's run into the space behind directly from a goal kick.

And Bruno, who had positioned himself well upfront, passed to Rashford who was following behind.

Then Rashford's shot found the back of the net with an incredible trajectory.

It was a moment when Ten Hag's tactics perfectly clicked into place.

It was a masterpiece created by Onana's excellent ball control and Bruno's exceptional attacking talent.

 

After that goal, Manchester United created several decisive chances in a similar manner.

However, the resources deployed upfront in attack, such as Garnacho and Rashford, especially Rashford, squandered unbelievable opportunities in the final moments, failing to score additional goals.

The pattern of the game remained unchanged as the second half progressed. 

Manchester City continued to probe and search for space, while Manchester United held firm, maintaining a solid defensive block.

Eventually, Manchester City managed to equalize. 

Once again, Manchester United gained a similar chance, and while Rashford was dribbling forward, he was pushed over by Walker during a challenge.

Personally, although the challenge was not strong, Walker clearly used his arms to push Rashford over, so it wouldn't have been unreasonable to call a foul.

However, the referee allowed play to continue, and amidst the gap left by Manchester United's counterattack, Foden capitalized on a swift counter-attack initiated by City and scored.

 

After the equalizer, it was essentially a battle of concentration.

But in situations like this, the advantage typically lies with the attacking side rather than the defending side.

Defense requires constant concentration; a momentary lapse can lead to conceding a goal. 

On the other hand, in attack, even if there's a mistake, you can always try again.

As the game progressed towards its conclusion, around the 75th minute, Manchester United clearly lost concentration. 

This allowed Foden to score his second goal and Holland to seal the victory for Manchester City. 

Consequently, Manchester United ended up losing the game.

 

I believe that apart from the initial difficulty in dealing with Manchester United's early pressure, Manchester City didn't face any major issues in the game.

On the other hand, apart from their well-organized start, Manchester United's performance left much to be desired. 

It seemed like the same old issues that have plagued Manchester United in the past haven't been addressed or improved.

Eric Ten Hag, what should be done about him?

 

Having just two more players, like Rasmus Hojlund up front and Luke Shaw on the left full-back position, would have likely prevented Ten Hag's initial game plan from crumbling.

 

It's regrettable to think about how things could have been different if these pieces were in place.

 

Manchester City is performing exceptionally well, while Manchester United still has a long way to go.