Derby day and it has to be said that I leaning towards United as the victors. No, I'm not a secret red and no I haven't turned in my City supporter membership. Styles make fights is a saying in boxing, but it is equally true in Football. City, on paper, do not match up well with United. Of course I'd love to be proven wrong.
The City team that we have seen the past couple of games is City's best. Whether it is a 4-4-2 or as I believe really a 4-2-3-1 with de Jong and Barry as the anchor and Tevez coming back to play the Elano role, the fact remains that the foursome of Adebayor, Bellamy, Johnson and Tevez are the in form City players.
Unfortunately United play a 4-5-1 and look to control the midfield. The City formation against Burnley and Birmingham would I believe be over run in midfield by United's extra player. Which leaves Mancini with a tactical dilemma. If he keeps faith with the team and formation that has played so well City will be at a disadvantage. Doesn't mean they will lose but I can see United in control.
Instead I think that the diamond formation, particularly the way the club played against Bolton for the first 20 minutes, would look to give City midfield superiority while Bridge, if fit, and Zabaleta would provide the support outlets for the midfield. In such a scenario Adam Johnson would play the AMC role at the top of diamond while Bellamy would sit on the bench. Yet Bellamy's speed terrorizes the United Right Full Back, regardless of who plays.
This is the challenge and quite simply is the biggest tactical test that has faced Mancini since he became the manager.
If de Jong, Vieira and Barry all start then Mancini has gone for control of midfield. If he sticks with the winning formula and Bellamy starts then I would be concerned that United will exploit whomever plays at Left Back.
Either way the second goal is crucial.
I'm not a pessimist. I try to look at games and teams on their respective merits. You can make the argument that in a combined City and United team that City would have more players than United such is the quality that now calls Eastlands home. However one thing that United do well is boss the midfield and in Darren Fletcher United have the player I consider most improved in the Premier League this season. City can dream of the infamous 5-1 or even the more recent 4-1 dominated by SWP, but I'll be surprised if either team wins by more than one goal.
United 2-1 is what I believe will be the result. For once I'd very much like to be completely wrong.
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Posted by Factilicious on 04/17/2010
Some fair points I guess, but I have to disagree. Utd can only maintain any semblance of control if they dominate possession. They won`t. Also the 5 man midfield they will definately deploy is susceptible if the ball is used most in wide positions. The effectiveness City have shown, particularly in recent weeks, is largely down to the excellent way we work width, and the way that pulls around the shape of our opposition. I see City largely dominating possession on what is a big pitch at Eastlands, with united forced ever deeper into their own territory. I hope to see both Bellamy and Wright-Phillips employed in our wide positions, with both Tevez and Adebayor starting the game also. What I hope we don`t do is disrupt our momentum by matching the united formation, as I feel it concedes something psychologically before a whistle is blown. Saying that however, perhaps Mancini will deem not suffering defeat as a good enough in our hunt for 4th place. I take City by 2 clear goals
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Posted by martin Nazimek on 04/17/2010
thats exactly what is happening at half right now. what you just said is happening. united are controlling the midfield and control the pace of the game. its like we are playing on a counter attack. i hope we can pull it off in the end. CTID
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Wallace Poulter is an award winning video game producer, designer, industry consultant and writer. He has been a football fanatic since the day he moved in next door to Brian Clough. "Cloughie" being the acknowledged genius that he was promptly moved out and went to manage Derby. A serviceable senior school left-back in his youth, Poulter played one season of Sunday league football as a striker proving conclusively that he was a serviceable senior school left-back! Today Poulter remains involved with football as a licensed referee and most recently as a consultant on a Football MMO.
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