What to look out for in the pre-season Manchester Derby

Aurko Mahapatra
Jul 20, 2017 · 8 min read
Courtesy of www.mancity.com

Categorising a football match between Manchester City and Manchester United as a friendly exhibition is the same as tagging the historical boxing bout between Muhammed Ali and Joe Frazier as a tea party. The result of this match will not yield any memorable trophies or win either team any league points, but the commercial payout of the match will be huge. It is the first Manchester derby to be fought on foreign soil, and both clubs will be looking to make the most of this clash by increasing their presence in the United States, and increase their stature on the global map. It will also be a chance for the two clubs to make a statement before the competitive season resumes with both managers, José Mourinho and Pep Guardiola, under immense pressure to win silverware this season.

With that in mind, these are elements to watch out for in the upcoming Manchester Derby in Houston on the July 20…

New Star Signings

Both clubs have been very active in the transfer market as they look to rebuild for the new season, with United and City bringing in 2 and 3 new first team players respectively. The two new signings to really watch out for are Romelu Lukaku and Kyle Walker. José Mourinho is held in high regard for his first period in charge of Chelsea during which he oversaw the rise of legendary striker Didier Drogba. The Red Devils fans are licking their lips at the prospect of the former Chelsea boss linking up with Lukaku; who is very similar to Drogba in physical attributes and playing styles. Lukaku has already proven his abilities in the premier league, finishing runners up in the race for the golden boot last season with 25 goals, more league goals than Zlatan Ibrahímovic and Marcus Rashford combined. Lukaku’s perfect combination of pace and power, paired with his lethal finishing and ability to move into channels at the young age of 24, ensures he has the potential to be the best striker to play for United since Eric Cantona. United fans will also be pleased with the fact that Lukaku enjoys playing against their cross-town rivals; with him scoring against city at both the home and away fixtures last season.

The Blues’ marquee signing Kyle Walker may be a defensive recruitment, but he adds just as much to the attack with his bombarding runs down the flanks. The Englishman has a distinct athletic ability, paired with a willingness to work hard-making him an ideal full back for Pep Guardiola. The Sheffield born England national was an integral part of the Tottenham first team, notching up 6 assists in the league. Having missed out on Dani Alves, City had to move quick and break the bank for the former Tottenham player; now with a large price tag on his back, there is immense pressure on Walker to perform. Along with these two star men, United have found Eric Bailly a strong partner in defence in the form of centre back Victor Lindelof, while city have signed attacking midfielder Bernardo Silva from Monaco and Brazilian goalkeeper Ederson Moares from Benifica. The Derby will be a chance for all these new players to showcase their talents and make their mark, as one of the most important seasons in the Manchester clubs’ history looms closer.

Courtesy of www.manutd.com

Youth Prospects

Under Sir Alex Ferguson, Manchester United set the standard in producing top quality youth products for decades. Ever since his departure, however, the Red Devils have fallen behind rivals Manchester City due to the Etihad Stadium outfit’s modern and aggressive approach to youth recruitment and scouting, paired with heavy investment in youth and senior team facilities ensuring the best possible environment for the development of young talents. United are trying to fight back now, and with the Manchester Derby set on a global stage without any silverware at stake, it is the perfect opportunity for both the teams to showcase their budding new stars.

United fans can look forward to watching two youngsters in particular who are sure light up Old Trafford in the years to come- Timothy Fosu-Mensah and Axel Tuanzebe. The defensive duo broke onto into the first team last season, with the versatile Fosu-Mensah filling in across the defence line and in midfield, and Tuanzebe being called up to the first team in February when United were suffering an injury crisis in the centre-back department. Other youth prospects who are on the 27-man list which flew out to the United States are Andreas Pereira, Joel Pereira, Demetri Mitchell and Scott McTominay. Andreas Pereira and Joel Pereira had mixed loan spells last season with Granada and Belenenses respectively; while the attacking midfielder Andreas is expected to shipped out on loan again, goalkeeper Joel Pereira is likely to stay as cover for the first team should David De Gea or Sam Johnstone leave Old Trafford. Meanwhile, attacking midfielder Scott McTominay and the versatile Demetri Mitchell have featured heavily for the Manchester United Under-21 team.

Meanwhile, City fans were frustrated when their high expectations of seeing a draft of youth academy players being involved in the first team were left far from being met last season. Pep Guardiola has a strong reputation of developing youth players; Busquets, Piqué, Messi, Alaba and Kimmich being few of the many examples. That pattern was broken in his first season in charge at the Etihad, as other than dead rubber substitute appearances for Aleix Garcia and Kelechi Iheanacho in some league games, there were only a few appearances for highly rated youngsters like Brahim Díaz in the league cup, a competition City crashed out very early at the hands of United. However, with Guardiola repeatedly stressing the quality of Phil Foden, Jadon Sancho, and Brahim Díaz; and highly rated Mancunian centre-back Torsin Adarbiyoyo signing a contract extension, there is hope for the future. Foden, Sancho, and Díaz were in scintillating form for the City EDS and Under-18s, as their teams finished runners up in Premier League 2, 3rd in Group 1 of Under-18s league, and runners up in the FA Youth Cup. After leading the city youth teams to an era of unprecedented success, the three will hope to live up to the tag of future world superstars. Meanwhile, a raft of loaned out players have also returned, which include wingers Patrick Roberts and Marlos Moreno. Roberts was key player for the Celtics side which won the league after an unbeaten season under Brendon Rodgers. Meanwhile, Moreno made 23 appearances for Deportivo as they avoided relegation in La Liga. Guardiola has a reputation for working with a large a number of midfielders and all of these players will look to the preseason fixtures as opportunities to break into the Catalan’s first team plans.

While Mourinho recently stressed that he was looking to the next 15 years when thinking about United; City chiefs are confident, should Guardiola bring success to the Etihad, he will stay far beyond his 3-year contract. To establish successful footballing dynasties, both managers will have to have a well-functioning youth set up, which makes the case for youth prospects furthermore pertinent. Therefore, fans must keep an eye out for these stars of tomorrow.

Courtesy of www.mancity.com

New tactics

Antonio Conte has started a revolution in the world of footballing tactics, with top premier league teams finding success with playing three at the back, most of all Chelsea as the Italian’s winning machine won the Premier league in telling fashion. Tottenham and Arsenal followed suit, with Mauricio Pochettino and Arsene Wenger changing things around at the back to turn their campaigns around. Guardiola tried to implement this system, but he did not have the ball playing centre-backs and attacking full-backs he needed, and ended up failing miserably which was highlighted in the 4–2 loss to Leicester City in December. He returned to his trusted 4–1–4–1 formation shortly after, but is expected to execute his complex formation once again in the upcoming season with summer reinforcements in place, and fans could get a glimpse of that in the Derby. In Kyle Walker, City have one of the best attacking full backs of the game, and even though left-wing-back Benjamin Mendy’s impending arrival is not going to be in time for the match, City have a number of players who would be able to fill on the left-wing-back position, Leroy Sané being one of them. Meanwhile, Vincent Kompany is back to his best and there are very few commanding centre-backs who are able to organise defences as well as him. John Stones regained confidence towards the end of last season as he started displaying the passing abilities which he was signed for; while Nicolas Otamendi was reliable throughout last season and has finally adjusted to Guardiola’s distinct footballing philosophy. This means fans could finally see this complex philosophy of football take place, fulfilling Guardiola’s vision of taking the Abu Dhabi owned outfit into its new phase of transformation. Similarly, José Mourinho also confessed in a recent interview that he is looking to follow the blueprint of Conte’s Chelsea for his Manchester United side, and the signing of Lindelof further indicates that Mourinho is taking Manchester United in that very direction. Although it is still early days, fans from both sides of Manchester can hope to see these new tactics take shape in the upcoming blockbuster friendly.

Courtesy of www.mancity.com

From the perspective of commercial and fanfare potential, Manchester is surely the centre of world football. United is already the world’s biggest club in terms of net worth, while City have owners with pockets deep enough to beat off the fiercest of competitions. Apart from Madrid, no other city is home to clubs of this size. However, the Manchester clubs have disappointed with their performances recently, as City endured a trophy less season and United found joy in winning second string competitions. Time, however, is at a premium and both the clubs are giving it their biggest push to conquer the world of football, and fans will see a glimpse of that in the blockbuster exhibition, as the battle for the pride of Manchester takes place in Houston.

Manchester City vs. Manchester United, Houston, 07:30 AM IST, Live on SONY TEN 2 & SONY TEN 2 HD

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