The Manchester Derby: More Than Three Points?
The Manchester Derby: More Than Three Points?
By Dominic Vieira
Manchester City vs Manchester United, 12:45 (GMT), Saturday 17th April, City of Manchester Stadium
Tomorrow, one of the biggest matches in England takes place in the heart of Manchester; Man City host their arch rivals Man Utd. It is the story of The Blues against The Reds, the war between The Citizens and The Red Devils. The Battle of Manchester is on the verge of starting and the conflict must not be missed!
The rivalry between the two set fire during the 60’s and 70’s, when both clubs were successful and had quality teams. The matches were intense and there were many violent confrontations between the fans. One of the biggest derbies was in the 19973/74 season. In the summer of 1973, United legend Dennis Law was given a free transfer and signed for City. Later in the season, The Citizens beat the Red Devils 1-0 at legendary Old Trafford and Law scored the goal which relegated United to the second division. Dennis Law didn’t celebrate after realizing what he had done and was immediately substituted. Law never played football again.
Since then, the rivalry has decreased as United kept on winning trophies, whereas City could not replicate their old form and were constantly finishing in mid table or battling for survival in the league. This led The Devils to compete with Liverpool and they soon became fierce rivals which the still are today.
Manchester City was never able to match United’s success, but since the Abu Dhabi United Group takeover in 2008, they’ve started to construct a powerful side which are slowly reaching the quality and level of Manchester United. Tevez’s controversial transfer has sparked up fury and hatred between the fans and players. The rivalry is greater than ever.
The match tomorrow is one of the biggest derbies of all times as both teams have something to win and big objectives to achieve. Manchester United needs to win if they want to hold on to their hopes of winning their 4th consecutive title. A defeat will practically rule them out of the race and hand the Premier League crown to Chelsea.
Manchester City is sitting in fourth place and a victory will boost their chances of securing the final Champions League spot. Playing in the Champions League will be a dream come true for The Citizens and they must play at their best tomorrow. Both teams can’t lose and will give it their all.
Last September, Manchester United beat City 4-3 at Old Trafford with a last minute goal by Michael Owen. The match was described by Sir Alex as “probably…the best derby of all time”. Take a look at the match highlights:
Prediction: Manchester City 0 – 2 Manchester United, despite United being in poor form I can see them beating their arch rivals with their intelligence and experience. They must play this match like a final and not think about league leaders Chelsea. United are boosted by the return of their talisman and prolific goalscorer, Wayne Rooney, who could be the match winner. It won’t be an easy win for The Reds as they are playing against an offensive free flowing team and players such as Adebayor and Tevez can run riot. A truly intense and exhilarating match. The team’s aren’t just fighting for the three points, but for pride, prestige and respect.
What is your thought on the Manchester Derby?
