What can MU do to resist Man.City?

A HERO IN THE TIME OF CHAOS

MU entered the Manchester derby against Man.City with 3 consecutive wins, respectively against Brentford (2-1), Sheffield United (2-1) in the Premier League and Copenhagen in the Champions League (1-0). Coach Erik ten Hag immediately declared: "MU is back. This is a team that is hard to beat and always finds a way to win. We are on the right track". Perhaps everyone, including coach ten Hag himself, understood that it was simply a "hyperbolic" statement. Saying MU is on the right track is reluctant. In the last 3 matches, the "Red Devils" played without any form, were suffocated by their opponents and only overcame difficulties thanks to moments, rather than winning because of their superior playing style. Coach ten Hag wants to turn MU into the best transition team in the tournament, but lacks a solid and flexible squad structure.

M.U lấy gì để chống đỡ Man.City ? - Ảnh 1. — MU *(left)* is rated much lower than Man.City.

What is worth mentioning in MU's victories is that the players who were once criticized have now risen to become heroes. Scott McTominay shined with a brilliant double to help MU reverse the score against Brentford; Diogo Dalot scored a long-range goal against Sheffield; or recently, Harry Maguire rescued MU with a header that scored against Copenhagen, and Andre Onana saved a penalty in the last minute, despite being under pressure due to mistakes with both his feet and hands.

When the pieces are boring and monotonous, the lifeline of the Old Trafford team is the moment of inspiration of a certain player. The names that have rescued MU in recent times are probably like "heroes" created by the times, only appearing for a few moments and then disappearing, instead of the names that will carry and steer MU. Where are the players who actually have to carry MU? Bruno Fernandes has only scored 2 goals since the beginning of the tournament despite playing a full 810 minutes in the Premier League, Marcus Rashford is even worse with 1 goal, 1 assist after 9 matches. The expensive contract Mason Mount has not yet made a mark on any goals. Rasmus Hojlund, Sofyan Amrabat just arrived, can't expect much.

Fragile support

The disadvantage in both playing style and personnel makes MU underestimated. Man.City is also unstable when losing 2 out of the last 3 matches in the Premier League, but the way coach Pep Guardiola and his team lost is very different. Man.City still has its own style and philosophy. This is a solid foundation so that even if they stumble, Man.City's position as a candidate for the championship will not be shaken. It is coach Guardiola who can say "on the right track" after the defeat, more than coach ten Hag.

"If MU continues to play like this, they will not have a 1% chance of winning against Man.City," said former player Tim Sherwood. Sky Sports expert Lewis Jones also believes Man.City will win 5-0 at Old Trafford.

However, it is no coincidence that the Manchester derby is a match that "the whole world must watch" as coach ten Hag declared. Besides the reputation of the two teams, this confrontation is also unpredictable. In the last 10 matches, Man.City won 5, drew 1 and lost 4 against MU, meaning the confrontation is not too uneven, although at this stage the blue half of Manchester dominated England, while MU was in crisis. Coach Ole Solskjaer was fired by MU after 3 years without a trophy, but he has caused sadness for Man.City many times, even winning and keeping a clean sheet against coach Guardiola's super strong attack. That is football in the Manchester derby. When MU is playing as the underdog to focus on counter-attacking, the "Red Devils" will be very dangerous. Bruno and Rashford are the strikers suitable for this type of lurking game.

Most importantly, MU needs spirit. In the 2017-2018 season, coach Jose Mourinho once scolded MU players because Man.City dominated, leading 2-0 in the second leg at Old Trafford. "Do you want them to make clowns of us at home?", Mourinho asked. In the second half, MU came back to win 3-2. That is the courage and a little bit of... pride that the red half of Manchester needs to have to avoid collapsing at the "Devil's Den" tonight.

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