Manchester United 1-6 Manchester City – Manchester is a City not United

The noisy neighbors earned themselves the respect they’ve been yearning for; at last. There would have been no better way for the citizens of Manchester to claim full authority over the city and the league table than the thrashing of Manchester United in Old Trafford by 6 goals to 1. It was like how Micah Richards described it: “It’s what dreams are made of.”

The two teams took the field with Manchester City leading United by two points. Pundits, fans, and the world were expecting a tight game (although I disagreed earlier and mentioned it will be humiliating for either side). What happened on the field was totally amusing. Manchester City held their nerves and were organized in the back trying to take charge of the game gradually. Judging Mancini’s starting lineup, the inclusion of Milner instead of De Jong raised some questions about the Italian’s intentions. De Jong was also spotted frustrated sitting on the bench. Yet, with the display that Milner put on the day Mancini was hailed as a genius. He opted for a more attacking formation with Milner rather than a defensive one with De Jong.

Manchester City’s growing confidence into the game was directly translated into their first chance and first goal. Silva, City’s messiah, cut United’s right flank and provided a ball back to the edge of the area where Balotelli threaded a pinpoint sidefoot into De Gea’s net. The first half ended 1-0 for the citizens and both teams’ dressing rooms were filled with mixed emotions. Then came Evans red card at the beginning of the second half and Manchester United were doomed.

It will always be you, until you stop collecting traffic fines and setting houses on fire, refrain from dealing with the mafia and using your iPad during games, and many other million reasons.

Manchester United held their nerves for the first 15 minutes of the second half after the Evans incident but couldn’t hold on more. Balotelli scored the second and Aguero the third. Fletcher reduced the damage on minute 81 but City scored 3 more goals in the dying minutes of the game; thanks to a Dzeko brace and a Silva trademark. (You can find here a minute by minute report on the match)

Now, what really happened in the Manchesteer Derby? What went wrong? Is Manchester City that powerful? Is money triumphing over history? Well, here are the thoughts and comments:

• A “derby” has no rules – hold your horses and don’t start celebrating Manchester City’s league title yet
• Balotelli has proven to be an opportunist with capabilities of being a great – he jumped into the front line when Tevez was done
• Ferdinand is way past his best – Capello is proving right
• Anderson is not a Scholes – and certainly not a Keane
• Evra should concentrate more on captaining the team and defending his flank better – and forget about the media outburst and racism claims
• Mancini is growing up – even his quotes are maturing “United are still one yard above us and we can only change this if we win the title”
• Sir Alex may change his mind and spend some money in January – he admitted “It was a bad day, our worst ever day”
• Manchester City fans may now start attending upcoming games with passion – no need for phone messages to beg them to attend (check the audio in this link)
• Manchester United still need that missing piece in the middle – if they were thinking of “glory glory…” by the end of May 2012
• Money can buy titles and build teams – ask Chelsea and question Wenger
• England has a real chance in Euro 2012 – Capello is the luckiest coach to finally see players like Richards and Milner flourishing just in time
• The English Premier League proves once more it is the best in the world – Arsenal vs Manchester? Need more to say?

I can go on and on with thoughts and lose myself into useless analysis because what has been done is done. Manchester is now a City not United. The only match I want to watch in the coming days is that of Aldershot Town F.C. in the Carling Cup on Tuesday, October 25, 2011 against Manchester United. I know that Sir Alex will field his “B-Team” for such an encounter but I want to see the anger of the United players translated into another feast of football and goals.

Spot the difference between the two images

Manchester United vs Manchester City – Sunday’s Match to Watch

Before money, before Sky Sports, and before Etihad, Manchester was a city united. Then there was the EPL. Like it or not, love it or hate it, the English Premier League has been the best evolving league across Europe and the world for some good time. But for a newbie like Mario Balotelli to claim that “soon United v City will be the biggest derby in the world,” a whole new level of football richness is to be debated.

Manchester United will host Manchester City on Sunday, October 23, 2011, in the Old Trafford. The game will kick off at 12:30 GMT (16:30 Dubai Time). For merely the geographical location of both clubs, the match is dubbed “The Battle of Manchester.” For footballing reasons, and for this game in specific, at this moment in time, I have to agree with Balotelli’s second quote: “Maybe now, City v United is a better football match than Milan v Inter. If I was sat at home and could watch one of the two, I think I’d watch United v City.”

The game is a must watch. One simple reason to watch it is the fact that Manchester City is now leading the English league table and Manchester United is second. The difference is two points and United can go top if they win the game. Another reason is the fact that no better game will be kicking off at the same time.

It seems no one has faith in the City or Mancini, so don't blame Tevez anymore! (Clockwise from top left: Berthold, Gullit, Desailly, Stromberg, Kamark, Joao Pinto, Sacchi - source: Goal.com)

Facts and results, and history too, are in the favor of Manchester United. And while we are in week 9 of the 2011/2012 season, Manchester City has not played against all the elite teams in the league yet. They only met Tottenham Hotspur and are still to face Liverpool, Arsenal, and Chelsea. The United game is a real challenge for Roberto Mancini to prove his worthiness at a club hungry for success.

Performance wise, Manchester United has not played their best football in the last couple of weeks, while the “Citizens” just claimed their first victory in the Champions League; a victory that might blind them heading into the match.

I will hopefully watch the game because Mancini still did not convince me as a manager and as a man capable of leading a team fully loaded with money and stars. The world seems united for this match and the predictions and odds are all in Sir Alex Ferguson’s favor, yet, and for my personal reasons, I see a humiliating loss for either sides. It will not, hopefully, end with a one goal or by a one goal difference. You can check any of these links to read more facts and analysis about the game: Goal.com Preview – BBC Sport Preview – The Sun Report

p.s. A worthy mention ahead of this clash is Carlos Tevez. He is the only person who managed to streamline emotions of hate and unite opinions in a city divided between red and blue.

 
This is not intended to be a factual analysis,
but merely a couple of thoughts on a lame Saturday

LNFR – Daniella Semaan, Mohammad Saadon, and Football Action

The week was full of events. Liverpool were playing a friendly on the night of the Champions League, that they lost 1-0 to Rangers, and Daniella Semaan captured my attention thanks to Cesc Fabregas.

Here are some of the news, old and recent, that I am highlighting while waiting the Manchester United vs Manchester City encounter.

• “Football is about more than just goals and numbers, it’s about passion and compassion.” Diego Maradona was quoted saying so when he visited Diab Awana’s family to pay his respect and to offer condolences after the young UAE footballer’s death. The Arab community of footballers and sports figures, including TV hosts and commentators, played a friendly game to commemorate the late Awana in Kuwait. The most talked event of the game played was Mohammad Saadon Al-Kwari goal in the match. Here is the Al Jazeera Sport football host goal in the game, and a reminder of the late Awana crazy penalty kick.
• Remember the Mourinho run on the sideline at Old Trafford? Do you really want to see that happen again? I have a feeling that Mancini will repeat the same this Sunday when Manchester City visits Manchester United. The Italian tactician went crazy this week when his team scored the winner against Villarreal in the Champions League, and that might just be the beginning of a rejuvenated Italian Citizen, or an act of destiny.
• Lionel Messi, who was just named Britain’s 18^th Most Influential Man, is apparently on the right path to become a universal goalscoring sensation. He is already Barcelona’s second most prolific scorer with 196 goals, 39 fewer than the club’s number one César Rodríguez, and on the way to top; unquestionably.
  

  At this scoring rate, Messi is expected to net 500 goals before he is 30 years old

• Fernando Torres is back, though not to the Premier League action before October 29. He scored for Chelsea in the Champions League twice against team Genk. Torres goals were the first in the competition since he last scored in the Champions League for Liverpool on April 8, 2009 vs Chelsea. This feat will be repeated only if David Luiz repeats his Barthez-Blanc ritual before every game the blues play.
  

  David Luiz blessed Torres before the game, and it brought back memories of the Laurent Blanc's famous Fabien Barthez kiss - All rituals lead to glory?

• Argentina never stopped amazing the football world. The new comparisons between Tevez and Aguero add more flavor to the history of ill-tempered Albicelestes across the globe. So, if you bench Tevez he will never accept to come as a sub and help the team, but Aguero will gladly accept and score a 92^ndminute winner.
  

  Some Argentinean players can be happier when starting from the bench

• Romario; remember him? It seems that Pele and he are persistent in their search of ways to grab the headlines recently by the mere mention of greater names such as Maradona and Messi. Now, and after Pele promised to send Messi his documentary on tape, Romario believes that his one La Liga Title and one World Cup Trophy make him better than Messi. The story doesn’t stop here: Romario thinks he is better than Maradona too. Fact check: Maradona was not a striker to begin with. Need to say more?
• Last night, Cesc Fabregas wished the 11 year old Maria Elie Taktouk a happy birthday on his Twitter account. This tweet took me back to his relation with the Lebanese mother of Maria: Daniella Semaan. This gorgeous Lebanese woman is Cesc’s new girlfriend. She comes from Miziara, (thanks to @FootySupernova and @ElieTouma who hinted that out), Lebanon, aged 36, a divorced mother of two, and has been recently credited for the good form that Cesc has shown since his move to Barcelona. With a bit of luck, Daniella might pull a Shakira-esque move and invite the Barcelona football team to Lebanon just like when Shakira asked the team to her concert and to the stage.
  

  Take my hand, and my kids, and I will show you the right way to glory, every morning!