7 min: United are holding steady so far. City have most of the ball but United are making a conscious effort not to sit to deep and are actually applying pressure in high places. “Souness and Keane: Glum and glummer,” declares Ian Sargeant. “The most joyless double act since Mourinho and a mirror. But still worth listening to.” It’s about picking horses for courses. Keane’s analyses generally tend to be variations on the same old theme. It happened to have some validity on this occasion.
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4 min: City probe around the United box, forcing their hosts to defend deep and in heavy numbers. Sterling tries to wriggle his way past a couple of opponents and into the box. He makes good progress but Fred stays pesky and eventually wins the ball off him. Good play by the much-maligned Brazilian.
2 min: Shaw scurries down the left wing and tries to slip a pass through to Rashford. He overhits it, but it was an encouraging burst for United.
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2 min: Bernardo Silva has started on the left wing. Sterling is on the right … and his first touch is shoddy, as he miscontrols the ball and allows it to run out of play.
1 min: And they’re off! City get the game going …. and Shane Long’s record remains intact. “I must be one of the only Man Utd fans in the world who wants United to win here,” blurts David Flynn. “”On the basis that I’d like to watch CL football next season and because it would be much funnier for Liverpool to throw it away from a winning position in a few weeks.”
The teams stride on to the pitch to a warm welcome and the strains of Stones Roses’ This is The One. United are wearing their red shirts, black shorts and black and red socks. City are in sky-blue shirts with white shorts and socks. So customs are pretty much respected on a day when City aim to confirm emphatically the reversal of the traditional order in the city …
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“The best result for football would be a Raheem Sterling hat-trick seeing as how he’s been passed over for the players’ gong, it seems,” reckons William Hargreaves, referring to reports that the PFA players’ player of the year award will be given to Virgil Van Dijk. A Sterling hat-trick would certainly be a good way to underline the folly of picking the winner before the end of the season.
In an interview on Sky Sports, Raheem Sterling is reminded that he hasn’t scored in the 15 matches he’s played against United so far in his career. “In the past I’ve had some chances and maybe it being the team I supported as a child it didn’t help,” he says with good humour. “But I’m looking forward to the game and will do my best to contribute.” Luke Shaw is certainly going to have to have one of his best games to keep Sterling quiet today.
“Here is the best result for all concerned,” announces Annie Newton. “A 1-1 draw. Man Utd keep their pride. Man City win the FA Cup to go with the League Cup. And Liverpool get an insignificant parade under the scorching hot May-end sun. No biggie. Let’s make it happen.” Come, come, Annie, you really think Liverpool would go on a street parade just before facing Ajax in the Champions League final?
Keane on Pogba
Sky have just reshown the interview they did with Pogba earlier this week in which he apologised for his team’s display at Everton and vowed to do better. Sample quotes: “The body language is not good enough for this shirt … We need to got back to basics. Work had, stay in your position, defend. Ask yourself ‘did I do my best’?”
Keane’s reply? “I don’t believe a word he says … he’s a big problem for United…. He’s a talented player but you need to be more than talented. The really top players make their team play better and he doesn’t do that. He plays for himself.”
Guardiola explains what he wants from his team and what he expects from United: “Be ourselves. We are going to start so strong. After a defeat [United] is going to try extra. And their lineup tells me that. Rashford and Lingard will run in behind, that is what we expect.”
Other Sky pundits are taking up Keane’s theme. “I know the rules have changed and there’s no thuggery any more,” says Graeme Souness. Was that a plaintive note in his voice? “But you can still be work hard and be aggressive. Man United are like a little pussycat, they just had their tummy stroked on Sunday. They have to be better than that.
Meanwhile, back on the email front, here’s some japes and tactical tips from Hubert O’Hearn: “I’m one of those Reds fans who will be watching from behind the couch … One thing Pep does that I think is flawed is spreading his center backs too wide when City press high. Thus a forward playing off the shoulder of one has a space in which to turn and run. Spurs created at least five opportunities that way, despite scoring none in Saturday’s loss. I would have suggested planting Lukaku in that role in preparation for ‘lump it to the big man’ passes. Lukaku lacks the pace to take the ball and score himself, but from that position he can get it to an on-rushing Rashford or Lingard (I wouldn’t let Martial into Old Trafford let alone on to the pitch).” Solskjaer has other plans, apparently. Guess he’s banking on the mobility of his forwards catching out City if/when they the counter.
Keane denounces United’s “bluffers”
More from Keane, who says he is not expecting City to suffer a backlash from a united team eager to reassert their pride: “These are the same players who threw Mourinho under the bus and they will do exactly the same to Ole. There are too many bluffers at this club to get United back to the very top.”
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Roy Keane in in the Sky Sports studio
He begins by saying he was not surprised by the manner of United’s defeat at Everton because this team has no characters or leaders. Wonder whether the next stop on Solskjaer’s history tour will be to take the leads on a seminar with Keane. “Call me a cynic but on recent form, I think the only question is whether Shane Long’s fastest goal record will survive tonight,” darts Justin Kavanagh. Would that enable Long to set another record by becoming the fastest in Premier League history to lose a record?
to shed light on what he and Martin O’Neill are doing at Nottingham Forest.
We know how City are likely to approach this match – with the intent of crushing their opponents’ resistance as early as possible, ideally with yet another goal inside the first 10 minutes. Solskjaer has been trying to preempt this assault with mind games. First, he tried to put ideas in the referee’s head by publicly claiming that City foul opponents while refusing to let them play out from the back; and secondly, he brought his players for a workout before this match at The Cliff, United’s training ground during their glory years. There’s more than a hint of ghost dancing to that last stunt. But let’s see if it does help raise United’s spirits.
Teams
United make five alterations to the side that was spanked at Goodison Park on Sunday and has also switched system, with the following lot set to be deployed in some kind of back-five makeup. It looks like a containment operation; or, if you prefer, sheer desperation. Darmian is making his first league appearance since January, seemingly as a central defender. As for City, De Bruyne is missing through injury, as expected.
United: De Gea; Young, Darmian, Smalling, Lindelof, Shaw; Pogba, Perreira, Fred; Lingard, Rashford
Subs: Romero, Dalot, Mata, Matic, Sanchez, Lukaku, Martial
City: Ederson; Walker, Kompany, Laporte, Zinchenko; Silva, Fernandinho, Gundogan; Sterling, Aguero, Bernardo
Subs: Muric, Danilo, Sané, Mahrez, Otamendi, Jesus, Foden
Referee: A Marriner
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Preamble
Hello. They’ve been playing Manchester derbies since 1881, the year Sherlock Holmes and Dr Watson first met and Pat Garrett killed Billy the Kid. And there has never been a United-City duel in a context exactly like today’s. The 178th showdown between the clubs is assured of at least mention in each clubs’ history books no matter how it unfolds. Some shade of glory beckons for both, but deep regret, even ignominy, also lurks. This match has immediate importance to each team’s season and is a bellwether game for what could happen beyond that. And Liverpool are watching in the role of helpless bystanders hoping that United, their fiercest rivals, will do them a favour in spite of themselves. But what if the twist in this season’s title race is that there is no twist? And City just keep on winning.
Pep Guardiola’s men haven’t dropped a point in the Premier League since late January and there’s little to suggest they’re about to slip up now, especially not against a United side who have been in wretched form, with Sunday’s 4-0 defeat at Everton not so much humiliating as contemptible. Everything suggests the gulf between the neighbours is growing. But this is a derby. This is at Old Trafford. City are not perfect and United do have some quality and, presumably, some pride.
United also have a pressing need for points to keep alive their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League, which they need to reach to help with the renovation they require. Performing today isn’t about helping Liverpool, it’s about helping themselves, even if, for some players, that only means helping themselves to earn a move to a better club. United stars such as David De Gea and Paul Pogba have spoken of their determination to atone for Sunday’s disgrace and show their true faces today. Will that be enough? Will United at least summon enough gumption and skill to worry City and perhaps get the visitors’ nerves jangling? Which of the many gifted players on display here will turn up with their A game? Which team will handle this momentous showdown better? Which manager – the acclaimed genius or the popular novice – will handle it better? So many questions! Soon to be answered. It’s on!
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