Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
IN recent seasons the Premier League has had an element of Charles Dickens to it as the title has bounced back and forth between two cities yet with the table reading as it does this week it has turned more Roald Dahl and Tales of the Unexpected.
Supporters of sides based in London and Liverpool will be looking on in horror as the two teams from Manchester rub shoulders, with identical records, separated only by the alphabet!
While United were quickest out of the blocks, starting the season with successive 4-0 victories, it is City who are now into their stride having scored 11 goals in their last two Premier League outings, the first of which was a 5-0 demolition of title rivals, Liverpool, albeit aided and abetted by a criminal challenge from Sadio Mane.
Add to that a 4-0 away victory over Feyenoord in Europe and it’s clear that the blue half of Manchester are covering for supposed defensive frailties by blitzing all before them up front.
Pep Guardiola appears to have returned Sergio Aguero to his best form, evidenced by his 10th hat-trick in a City shirt (and sixth in the league), his third evoking memories of his countryman, Diego Maradona, as he waltzed past several defenders before scoring. His pace and finishing are world class.
Another factor that has undoubtedly helped him is that he is no longer the sole threat, with City looking to score goals in a variety of ways and from different positions. Most notably, harking back to a formation that many believe to be extinct, featuring two forwards.
Gabriel Jesus has adapted well to the Premier League and his partnership and understanding with Aguero is developing into one to be feared, reminiscent of many title-dominating sides from yesteryear. Of course, they are certainly helped by having Kevin De Bruyne behind them supplying the ammunition. He now has more assists than anyone in Europe.
The evidence of this away-display following on from an overseas trip in European competition suggests that Sheikh Mansour has bought a quality squad capable of coping with the demands of both competitions in a manner that will thrill the neutral.
United have failed to look quite as fluid – at least until the last 10 minutes of every match, in which they have scored nine of their 16 goals in the league this season. The historic ‘Fergie time’, usually resulting in a goal scored in time added on during the managerial reign of Alex Ferguson, appears to have been extended by Mourinho.
Their 4-0 thrashing of Everton only became as emphatic after the substitution of the returning Wayne Rooney who pleasingly received a standing ovation as he walked to the dug-out.
It was an unfortunate coincidence that Rooney remained in Manchester to face a drink-driving charge, the result of which meant he has more points this season than his team!
Romelu Lukaku looked delighted to have netted United’s third to silence the boo-boys on his first match against his former colleagues while Martial dispatched a penalty conceded by another former United player, Morgan Schneiderlin.
Yet given the proximity of their grounds and league position, how strong is the Manchester rivalry?
This season and for decades, United have looked down on their neighbours – and not simply because they now possess one of the tallest teams in Europe!
City were the first of the two clubs to claim a major trophy, lifting the FA Cup in 1904 and remained dominant until the Second World War. However, United then claimed five domestic titles and one European in the 1950s and 1960s before the era of Sir Alex Ferguson who added 13 more in England and four in Europe.
For years City had gone largely unnoticed. The seismic shift came when Gulf money arrived in 2008, although the first recognition of this only arrived in 2011 when they defeated their neighbours in the semi-final of the FA Cup, going on to beat Stoke City in the final and lift their first major trophy in 35 years.
However hard City fans take aim at their Manchester rivals, United fans still do not consider the blues to be the arch-enemy. That is reserved for Liverpool in a loathing that has been developed over centuries with its roots based in trade battles dating back to the 19th Century when the port of Liverpool had levied excessive taxes on Mancunian cotton, prompting them to build their own canal.
This came to a head on the football pitch in 1963-4, the last time the two sides transferred a player between each other.
United fans even celebrated City’s title triumph in 2014 as it prevented Liverpool from winning, despite having lead with three games to go, denying them their first title in 24 years.
I suspect that, if Leeds United makes a return to the top table, City will be relegated to third in a list of ‘must-win’ fixtures for the fans of the Red Devils.
City have now finished ahead of their rivals for four consecutive seasons although, with larger attendance and higher revenues United still claim to be the bigger club. In a sign of a club suffering, they can turn to their history and gloat over anyone.
One of the key aspects to this debate is placement; the Etihad Stadium is located within the City while Old Trafford is situated outside the limits in Greater Manchester – a name that their fans would argue is significant!
There are only 33 more matches until we find out who will be masters for this season anyway!
Only twice in history have these two Manchester giants gone head-to-head for the title – in 1968 and 2012. On both occasions the title went to City.
