Alex Reid looks at whether the once ever-present appearance of English clubs in the later stages of the Champions League is set to become a thing of the past
Craig Dobson looks at QPR's decision to sack Neil Warnock and replace him with Mark Hughes
Andy Pakes previews this Sunday afternoon clash in the first edition of Game of the Week for 2012
Dave Hughes tells us about his sporting hero, Wes Morgan
United’s status as the dominant force in Manchester has been even longer established, but with Manchester City’s recent rise to power both these superiorities are under threat. The process was of course set in motion by the takeover that made City the most expensive club in the world, and now, after three years of huge spending, they look ready to contest the Premier League title for the first time.
This afternoon’s Manchester derby will be the clearest indication yet of how serious their challenge will be. Though they currently sit top of the league, United lurk just two points behind and have had so far the trickier run of fixtures, facing all of last season’s other top 6 finishers.
United will also have the advantage tomorrow of playing at home, but how much they will attack City is unclear. At Anfield last week they fielded a surprisingly negative eleven, appearing to wish to stifle Liverpool rather than play for the win. Such negativity perhaps reveals a cautious attitude of Ferguson towards his side, who despite a scintillating start to the season have shown a few signs of potential weakness; there defence does not look as solid as we’ve come to expect from United, and have so far looked less than impressive in the Champions League.
But to say United will set up defensively tomorrow is to read too much into this. At home, and in a domestic tie rather than European, Ferguson is likely to play 4-4-2 with Rooney and Hernandez up front, and with at least one of their attacking wingers Nani and Young playing.
Last year fielding a defensive set-up in such a fixture would have been a no-brainer for Mancini, but this season the City manager appears to be a changed man willing to throw caution to the wind. At White Hart Lane this year he fielded a surprisingly attacking line-up with four forwards anchored by two defensive midfielders, but whether they will do the same against the formidable United is another matter.
Against Bayern Munich a few weeks ago their approach was exposed for being overly naïve, meaning Mancini will probably be reluctant to push too many men forward and would probably be delighted with a draw. After all, as the away team the onus is on United to take the game to them, and should City hold on for a draw they will retain their position at the top of the league.
But even with a more conservative mind-set, the winning psychology engrained into United after generations of success will be a very difficult force for City to fend off. They are a team who always perform when they need to and never know when they’re beaten. Whatever the reason for this psychological strength, what’s clear is that it has existed in United teams for years, and should help them overcome the most recent threat to their dominance.
Come on United! I can see this game going either way to be honest, but given that United have already beaten City this season (Ok, it was the Community Shield...) I think we won't be intimidated by their big name players. Both sides have so much talent, I think it will just come down to who plays better on the day.
For me it depends which way you look at it. There's no denying that City have been crushing teams for fun in the league recently whereas United have gained more scrappy wins. But if you look at City's Champions League form, they have struggled in big games, ie Bayern Munich. Tossing a coin would be an accurate prediction, but I think City may just sneak this one...
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